


Whatever will be, will be

by mistressterably



Category: The Thick of It (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 05:16:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 42,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4948093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistressterably/pseuds/mistressterably
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the follow up to my previous work Destiny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

‘Mama!’ Mattie was racing into the house with Mary trailing behind him. ‘Look what I made for you and Papa.’ His chubby hand was gripping the page tightly, rumpling the one corner. The crayon-coloured picture was of two vaguely human like figures holding hands. Or a close imitation of it. 

Cass, locking her computer to prevent her son’s energetic antics from causing any problems with her work, turned to her curly-haired son and leaned down to him. ‘What have you got for Mama, Mattie!’

‘You and Papa being happy! Like you were last night.’ He held the page out to her and she took it carefully. She had gotten used to how he drew his father, Malcolm, with big hands and large nose and he drew her with a big heart on her skirt. Their hands were really only circles overlapping one another. 

‘You were happy with us, Mattie. Why didn’t you draw yourself in the picture.’ 

‘Cuz it’s for you and Papa.’ As if that was all the explanation that was needed. Mary arrived after him.

‘Hi, Auntie! I tried to tell him he shouldn’t bother you.’

‘Don’t worry, Mary. You’ve been very good keeping Mattie company all morning.’ Cass smiled at her niece. She was almost 13 now and had been such a wonderful help with Mattie and visited as often as she could. Malcolm’s brother, Angus, and his wife, Stella, had only ever had the one child and for her to now have who she considered to be a little brother had excited her to no end. They were both fine with her coming over on school holiday’s to be with Mattie and Cass was more than happy to have the help with her active little boy. 

Malcolm had spent many weekends re-doing the ‘doll-house’ into a playroom suited to both Mattie and Mary. 

‘Lunch, Mama. I’m hungry!’ Mattie was tugging on her hand. ‘Where’s Papa?’

‘It’s lunch time in an hour, Mattie.’ Cass reminded him. ‘And Papa’s at work.’

‘Can we go to the park?’

‘Not today, Mattie. Tomorrow.’

‘Mattie, we could go in the garden and play football.’ Mary was taking hold of his hand.

‘No! I want to go to the park.’ Mattie stamped his foot and scowled. 

Cass had to fight a laugh back. When her boy got to scowling he looked exactly like his father. Like an angry owl. ‘Tomorrow, Mattie. Your Papa is off tomorrow and he’s going to go to the park with you.’

‘No!’ Mattie was digging his heels in and Cass wasn’t in the mood for his stubbornness. 

‘You can play with Mary in the garden or sit quietly in your room.’ Cass gave him his options.

‘Park!’ Mattie tried a third time.

‘Mattie, come and play in the garden with me. I don’t want to sit quietly in your room with you.’ Mary tugged at the stubborn four-year old’s hand. When Mattie tried to put up another fuss, Mary gave his hand another tug. ‘Auntie will make you sit on the step if you don’t behave. And then I’ll have to go home and I don’t want to go home.’

‘Don’t go home Mary!’ Mattie switched on a dime, not wanting his playmate to leave. Instead, he hugged his cousin tight suddenly. 

‘Let’s go to the garden, Mattie.’ Mary smiled at Cass and the two youngsters were off to the garden to leave Cass with her work. 

Cass sighed, he was such an active handful. With an hour to lunch, she could wrap up her work and send it off to the office. Mary would be off home and then it would be her and Mattie for the afternoon and evening until Malcolm got home. The thought of her husband always made Cass smile. She looked forward to tomorrow herself. Just as Mattie was looking forward to spend the day with his Papa, she was looking forward to her first full day back at the office. If only for the one day for a round of professional development training. 

That evening, Mattie had already had his dinner and was enjoying his bedtime story when Malcolm got home. He was going to be spending the evening watching a television interview and likely a lot of time on the mobile if things went tits up but he now made the effort to come home for a meal and sit with his son until he fell asleep. He headed up the stairs to Mattie’s room and walked in on Cass reading to him. 

‘Papa!’ Mattie stood up in his bed, arms outstretched to his father. Malcolm, a huge grin on his face, gathered up his son in his arms and gave him a big hug. 

‘What’s my boy been up to today?’ Malcolm asked his son, ruffling his curly hair. 

‘Coloured you and Mama. Mary played football.’ He screwed up his face thinking about his day. ‘Fell on path. See?’ Mattie was flopping back on to his bed and pulling up his pyjama leg. He had a scraped knee that was all scabbed over. ‘Missed the football.’

Malcolm’s eyes shot to Cass in a panic. ‘Why’d you do that? You’re not supposed to hurt yourself, Mattie!’

‘Oh Malcolm. He’s fine. Aren’t you Mats?’ Cass was tugging the boy’s pyjama leg down again. ‘Just a scrape. They happen.’

‘Where were you?’ Malcolm asked Cass, not letting it go. 

‘I was working and Mary was watching him. As soon as he had the tumble, Mary was helping him to his feet and getting him in the house. She called me down and I cleaned the wound. Mattie was a trooper. Weren’t you?’ 

‘I was! Papa, I didn’t cry! I said OW!’ Mattie was beaming with pride. ‘Mary gave me a big hug while Mama fixed my knee. Kissed me better.’ 

‘Good, good.’ Malcolm said, still anxious but letting it rest for the moment. 

Mattie was grabbing at his father’s lips. ‘You hurt your lips lots?’

‘No, why do you say that Mattie?’ Malcolm furrowed his brow at his son’s question.

‘Cuz Mama kisses you there. Like my knee.’

Malcolm blushed and Cass chuckled, waiting for Malcolm to answer his son. ‘Kisses don’t just mean fixing a hurt, Mattie. When Mama kisses me she’s telling me she missed me all day.’

‘But you kiss all the time!’ Mattie said. ‘Mama, you miss him all the time?’

‘I do Mattie.’ Cass spared her floundering husband. ‘I miss him when he’s away for even a minute. The same way I miss you when I’m not with you. I kiss Papa and I hug you.’

‘Papa gets a kiss. I get a hug!’ Mattie smiled and hugged his mother. Malcolm hugged the two of them. ‘Papa hugs too!’


	2. Chapter 2

Cass got up early without disturbing Malcolm to get ready for the office. He deserved a bit of a lie in and could wake up with Mattie in another hour. Malcolm lay sprawled on the bed, naked. She couldn’t help but smile at how loving he had been last night. Maybe it had been knowing he had today off that made him particularly energetic but she wasn’t complaining at all. Cass paused by the bed to drag one of the bed sheets over him, preserving his dignity in case their son came rampaging in to wake his father up. 

While getting ready in the washroom, her son woke up and came barrelling in to hug her around the legs. 

‘Mama! Mornin’!’

‘Hey you!’ Cass bent down to give her son a proper hug. ‘You’re up early.’

‘Going to park today!’

‘You are, with Papa!’ Cass ruffled his curls. ‘And you’re going to behave for your Papa today?’

‘Uhhuh!’ Mattie nodded enthusiastically. ‘And play with him!’

‘And if he tells you to do something you will do it?’ 

‘Uhhuh! I’ll be good!’

‘Good.. why don’t you go wake your Papa up for me. Maybe he’ll make pancakes for us?’

‘PANCAKES!’ Mattie squealed happily and was off to pester his father. Cass did not regret it, now she’d be able to finish getting ready in peace.

For a small four year old, Mattie made a lot of noise running about the house but even that wasn’t enough to rouse Malcolm from his sleep. The sheet that Cass had tugged over him had been kicked off by him as he had slept on. What he couldn’t sleep through was his son landing square on his stomach, a small knee connecting with Malcolm’s groin waking him up quickly and painfully. 

‘PAPA! Pancakes!!’ Mattie was jumping on his father, oblivious to anything but wanting his breakfast made by his father. 

‘Ugh! Mattie! Careful!’ Malcolm was trying to catch hold of his son to stop him kneeing him in the groin again. ‘Where’s your Mama? Can’t she make you breakfast?’

‘Mama said you’d make me pancakes!’

‘Did she now?’ Malcolm rubbed at his eyes and grabbed the bed sheet to cover himself. ‘Up you get, Mattie. Give me a chance to get up.’ Mattie, still jumping about, moved so that Malcolm could grab his boxers and slip them on. ‘What you want in your pancakes then, son?’

‘Chocochip!’ Mattie demanded.

‘Alright, Chocochip pancakes then. Go ask your Mama what she wants.’

Mattie was off again and Malcolm was finally able to dress and head to the kitchen. It didn’t take him long to have the pancakes almost ready to cook and Mattie came storming in. ‘Blueberry for Mama!’

‘Right. Now, be good and sit at the table properly while I make them.’

Mattie fussed about at the table as he waited for his breakfast. Malcolm just watched with half an eye on the boy. He just never seemed to slow down until he passed out asleep! Grabbing a handful of chocolate chips, Malcolm quickly fashioned a big smiley face with them on Mattie’s and then did the same but with blueberries for Cass and himself. ‘Mattie, did Mama say how long she’d be?’

‘Ummmm,’ Mattie screwed up his face to remember. ‘Ten minutes?’

‘Okay.’ Malcolm dished out the pancakes onto plates and then worked a bit of his magic in the kitchen. For Mattie’s he got some chocolate sauce and put a mustache and fringe of hair on the face, drawing on some ears too. From the fridge he took out some of the homemade blueberry sauce that he kept for them to use on weekends and topped off his and Cass’s. By the time he’d put the finishing touches on them all she was joining them in the kitchen. 

‘Morning Malcolm!’ Cass came up behind him and gave him a kiss. Mattie just giggled and made some smooching noises. ‘Watch out, young man. It’ll be you getting a wet one next!” Cass teased her son. 

‘Ah you sexy woman!’ Malcolm said with a big smile. ‘Sit and be served!’ He had their plates in hand and was dishing breakfast up for both of them before grabbing his own and joining them. ‘Mattie! Fork! Not hands.’ 

‘Sorry!’ Mattie stopped ripping one of the ears off his pancake with his fingers and got his fork working on it instead. 

‘Malcolm, I’ve packed everything you and Mattie will need today already in the knapsack. There’s just the sandwiches and juice boxes in the fridge to pop in. I’ll be in meetings all day but if you need anything call the office and they’ll let me know.’

‘I’m not going to need you, love! I’ve watched Mattie in the park on my own often enough!’ Malcolm was reassuring his wife when he caught Mattie using his fingers again. ‘OY! You! What’d I say!’

‘Fork!’ Mattie said and picked the utensil back up.

‘Right. Use it!’ Malcolm gave him a glare but winking as well. 

‘Yes, sir.’ Mattie winked back at his father and went back to using his fork.

‘I’ll be back in time for dinner, Malcolm.’ Cass got up, breakfast done. She gave Mattie a kiss on the top of his head and Malcolm a kiss on his cheek before he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips. 

‘Later, love!’ Malcolm watched her leave. Mattie did a few more smooching noises and giggled at Malcolm’s glare. ‘You, washroom. You manage to wipe that face of yours clean while I clean up here?’

‘Can do!’ Mattie was off like a bolt to race up the stairs. With a bit of temporary quiet, Malcolm got the kitchen cleaned up and popped the lunch and juices Cass had prepared the night before into the knapsack. Mattie came racing back down the stairs to get his father’s approval for his washing up. ‘Clean!’  
‘Good job, Mattie! Did Mama set out some clothes for you this morning?’

‘No.’ He shook his head dramatically. 

‘Can you manage that on your own?’

‘I sure can!’ Mattie said. 

‘Off then. Get yourself dressed!’ Malcolm grabbed his work mobile off the counter and turned it on while he waited for his son to dress himself. Sam had forwarded a handful of emails on to him for some quick responses which he plowed through in rapid succession. He knew Sam would clean them up before sending them on his behalf. There were a number of texts from Jamie about the schedule for the day and he sent back answers and updates. One however needed a more complicated answer than he felt like typing out so he rang up Jamie.

‘You fucking twat, Jamie. My day off. I went over every fucking thing with you last night and you fucking ask me this morning on a fucking text about the 3pm interview with the Citizenship team. It’s very fucking easy. They need to finish the migration by end of month. End of.’

‘Fuck him off, Papa!’ Mattie piped up tugging on his father’s trousers. 

‘MATTIE!’ Malcolm just stared at his son. Jamie was laughing maniacally on the phone having heard Malcolm’s son cursing.

‘Park now!’ 

‘Jamie, sort it or abort it!’ Malcolm killed the call and dropped to his knees to hold Mattie by the shoulders. ‘Mattie, son, you never ever use that word again. Got that.’

‘Fuck?’ Mattie asked innocently.

‘Yes, that one. That’s for adults to use only.’

‘You use all the time.' Mattie argued. 

'Because I am an adult. You are not.' Mattie scowled and Malcolm had to catch himself from laughing at the imitation his son was doing of his own bollocking face. ‘Just don’t use that word, okay!’ Malcolm reinforced the rule for his son. 

‘Okay.’ Mattie agreed. ‘Park now?’

‘Yes, the park. Let’s go!’


	3. Chapter 3

Malcolm and Mattie were both exhausted by the time they got home that afternoon. Putting his son in bed for a well-deserved nap the boy kept fussing so Malcolm stretched out on the bed beside him and Mattie curled up on his lap to fall asleep finally. Malcolm joined his son soon enough and that was how Cass found them when she got home from work a few hours later. 

Letting them sleep on, Cass fixed up a dinner for all three of them. The smell of food woke her son up and his wriggling out of his father’s arm woke Malcolm up as well. 

‘Wore yourselves out did you, boys?’ Cass teased her boys as they entered the kitchen. Mattie was hugging her hard and Malcolm settled for brief kiss before sitting at the table to rub his eyes clear. 

‘Haven’t had a nap like that in ages.’ Malcolm confessed. ‘Haven’t spent so much time running around with an energizer bunny either.’

‘Papa played a lot!’ Mattie declared happily. ‘And then he bought ice cream!’

‘Ice cream?’ Cass asked, a knowing look at her husband. 

‘I know, my fault.’ Malcolm sighed. ‘The sugar set him off again.’

Cass laughed. ‘Well, I had a much more tame day in meetings. Had a very interesting one with my boss at the end of the training.’

‘Oh?’ Malcolm was curious. 

‘They’re wanting me to start doing half days at the office again rather than at home. Get back to meeting one on one with clients. They’ve got a few new juniors to do the paperwork that I’ve been keeping up with from home.’ 

‘What about Mattie?’

‘Julie was mentioning a day school for Dylan. We could have Mattie attend as well. The two boys love being together and it’s about time Mattie started to get used to being around others. We’ve already put off enrolling him earlier.’

‘You know I’d rather you and I mind him until he starts proper school.’ Malcolm said. ‘It worked well with my Mam and Dad.’

‘Your Mam was not a trained lawyer and your Dad was not the Director of Communications for the governing party. Mattie would be fine in school and we could get on with our jobs properly. Then we’d be more free in the evenings to spend solely with him instead of you being interrupted all the time.’

‘You could just ...’ Malcolm started but Cass stopped him.

‘No, Malcolm. I’m not giving up my career. Or are you forgetting that you’re likely to retire in a few years and I’ll have another 20 years of work after that.’

‘Mama? Papa?’ Mattie had been quiet but was looking from one parent to the other. ‘Dylan coming over?’

‘No, Mattie. Not right now.’ Malcolm said. ‘What do you think Mattie? Would you want to go to school with Dylan every day?’

‘Play everyday with Dylan!’ Mattie started to smile widely. ‘Yay!’

‘You’d have to go to school to do that, Mattie. School would meaning learning new things.’

‘Learning? Like colouring?’ Mattie asked. ‘I like colouring.’

‘And then you’d learn more reading.’ Cass added. ‘And counting.’

‘One two three four five!’ Mattie rhymed off his numbers using his fingers. 

‘And more.’ Cass winked at Malcolm. 

‘And with Dylan?’

‘Yes, with Dylan.’ Cass assured her son. Malcolm still looked nervous over the idea of his son leaving the house without them there.

‘I want to go to school!’ Mattie was bouncing in his chair. ‘Playing and learning!’

‘And..’ Cass leaned to her son and whispered to him. ‘You’d get to make more friends.’

His eyes went wide. ‘More friends! More parties?’

Malcolm groaned at the thought of more kids than just Mattie and Dylan invading their home. Cass playfully punched him in the arm. ‘Probably more parties, yes.’ Cass said to her son. ‘Now, finish up your dinner and then I’m going to give you a nice bath and get you to bed.’

‘Okay!’ 

Later that night, once Mattie had been tucked in and read too, Cass joined Malcolm in the sitting room where he was watching a TV interview with one of the ministers. She poured herself a glass of wine and brought him a small glass of scotch. Waiting until the interview was over and he turned the sound off, Cass sat sideways on the sofa to face her husband.

‘You’re upset, aren’t you?’

‘He’s my son, I don’t want to see him get hurt.’ Malcolm said, sipping at the scotch. 

‘He’s OUR son.’ Cass reminded Malcolm. ‘You can’t wrap him in cotton wool for ever.’

‘I can try.’ Malcolm peered thoughtfully into his tumbler. 

‘I won’t let you.’ Cass was determined. ‘He needs to skin his knees, get knocked about. Just like everyone else. It’s what will make him the strongest man in the end.’

‘He’s only four, Cass. Plenty of time for him to be knocked about.’ Malcolm tried to argue his point. 

‘No, the sooner he learns the better. Unless you want to try and deal with a spoiled brat later on.’

‘I don’t spoil him, Cass!’ 

‘Keep up with what you’re doing and he will be.’ 

‘What if the school doesn’t work out? Then what do we do?’

‘This isn’t your job, you don’t have to try to predict the worst case scenario and plan for it. You’re his father. You encourage him to learn, grow, become more independent but teach him to love his family always.’ 

‘But..’ Malcolm found his words stopped by Cass laying a finger on his lips. 

‘No, Malcolm. No buts or what if’s, our son is going to go school and he’s going to succeed and you are going to love him just like you do now but without stopping him from being himself. And I’m not going to let you do otherwise.’ She removed her finger and kissed him. ‘Now, you and I are going to go to bed ourselves. I’m worn out from being in an office all day and you,’ her hand straightened his shirt collar, ‘look like you could use the extra rest yourself. Papa!’

Malcolm growled softly in response. ‘Rest.. maybe not sleep though.’ 

‘I agree.’ Cass kissed him again and this time he responded in kind. They didn’t quite make it to the bedroom just yet.


	4. Chapter 4

‘Papa!’ Mattie called out for his father as he strode into the day school. Running at his father, Mattie was being picked up and hugged by Malcolm. 

‘Getting to be too big for this, Mattie!’ Malcolm said under his son’s ever-growing weight. 

‘Mr. Tucker,’ the director of the day school emerged from her office and greeted him. ‘Please, if you could join me in my office.’ 

‘Yeah,’ Malcolm set his son back on the floor and the two of them followed the director into her office. ‘Cass passed on your call to meet one of us right away. What’s going on?’

‘There is no delicate way to say this, Mr. Tucker. Your son used inappropriate language on the playground today. This is a behaviour that we have found is usually started in the home. I know that I have no means to enforce the use of inappropriate language outside of the school environs but I can advise you that if you’re unwilling to assist in curbing his language we may have limited options in his continued attendance at this facility.’ 

‘What the f… ah.’ Malcolm coughed. ‘What did Mattie say?’

‘He was waiting to use the slide and told another child to slide the eff down or come the eff off.’

Mattie was grinning. ‘Emma wasn’t sliding. Just wanted her to slide.’

‘Mattie, I thought we’d had this talk already?’ Malcolm was sternly looking at his son. He turned back to the director. ‘I’ll work on this, Miss. Please let me know if it happens again.’

‘Don’t worry, we will.’ The director was blunt. 

Malcolm took Mattie by the hand and left the school with him. ‘Papa?’ Mattie had that tone in his voice that he used on his parents when he was sorry. 

‘Mattie, you know what you did?’

‘It’s what you say, Papa.’ Mattie argued.

‘And what words do I use?’ 

‘Adult words.’ Mattie said, showing off that he did remember the word and what it was.’

‘Are you an adult yet?’ 

‘I’m a big boy! I go to school now!’  
‘That’s not what I asked. Are you an adult?’ 

‘No, Papa.’ Mattie said, sounding sorry again.

‘If you’re not an adult you shouldn’t use adult words.’ Malcolm gave his son a bit of a tug on his hand to enforce his words. ‘I’m going to have to tell Mama about this.’

‘No!’ Mattie knew instinctively by now that he could get away with a lot more with his father than he could with his mother. ‘Don’t tell Mama!’

‘I have to, Mattie. You want the school lady to tell her?’

His son’s eyes went even wider. ‘NO!’

‘Do you want to tell your Mama then? Be honest with her?’ Malcolm gave him an option. ‘You know Mama likes it when you’re honest with her. Like when you broke that bowl? She didn’t get as mad at you when you told her it was you.’

‘Mama was mad at me. Made me sit on the step.’ 

‘You deserved it though, didn’t you.’ Malcolm told his son. ‘Mama had told you not to run about with it and you did anyway. She made you sit on the step because you didn’t listen to her. Not that you broke the bowl.’

Mattie screwed up his face trying to process the thought. ‘I tell Mama then?’

‘You tell Mama.’ Malcolm agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

Cass knew something had happened at the school just not the what. Arriving home, Malcolm was in the sitting room, answering emails off his Blackberry. Mattie was at the kitchen table working on a drawing. ‘How’re my boys?’ Cass asked as she hung up her jacket.

‘Ah, love. We’re fine and I think Mattie wants to talk to you about today.’ Malcolm said. ‘Right Mattie?’

‘Mama!’ Mattie jumped from his chair and stood in front of his mother, looking serious. ‘I was bad at school today.’

Cass knelt in front of her son to be at his level. ’How were you bad, Mattie?’

‘I told Emma to slide the fuck down or come the fuck off.’ 

Malcolm winced. Apparently for his son, telling the truth meant the entire truth as it had happened. Cass shot Malcolm a quick look that said he was in for a chat later after bedtime. She placed her hands on her son’s arms. ‘Did you apologize to Emma?’

‘No, she slided down. The yard lady marched me to the office though.’ Mattie explained. ‘Papa had told me about adult words but I didn’t remember.’

‘Will you remember to not use them again?’ Cass asked her son.

‘I will Mama.’ Mattie nodded. 

‘Can you apologize to Emma tomorrow for saying adult words to her?’

‘I can ‘pologize, Mama.’ More nodding. 

‘Okay, if you do it again then it’ll be the step for you.’

‘Yes, Mama.’

‘Quiet night tonight for you then. You going to colour quietly at the table before we have dinner?’

‘Yes, Mama.’ Mattie nodded again and then with his mother’s okay, he went back to the table and hopped onto his chair to return to his colouring. 

‘You have dinner cooking, Malc?’ Cass asked her husband who had watched quietly. 

‘Yeah, there’s about thirty minutes left in the oven before it’s ready.’ 

‘I’m going to have a quick shower then.’ Cass left them to carry on before dinner. 

Not until later that evening, as Cass was slipping into bed beside Malcolm did she broached the subject. ‘How often have you caught him cursing?’

‘Just once. He was listening to me talk to Jamie.’ 

‘As if you were at work.’

‘Yeah.’ Malcolm admitted. 

‘He’s picked it up from you.’

‘I know.’ Malcolm was contrite. ‘I’ll do better not to curse around the boy again.’

‘I should hope not. If it happens again, you deal with the school over it. Your punishment.’

‘Yes, Mama.’ Malcolm said, using the same tone as his son. Cass punched him in the arm and then fell into his arms. ‘Do you still love me despite my mouth?’

‘Malcolm, how could I ever stop loving you. Mouth and all.’ Cass kissed him. ‘Maybe you should prove to me how much you love me?’

‘With absolute pleasure!’ Malcolm grinned and kissed her in return with more passion.


	6. Chapter 6

‘Whose idea was it to have a kids party here again?’ Malcolm asked his wife. He was busy baking a large cake in the shape of an owl at the request of his son for his fifth birthday party. ‘There’s plenty of places that you can have kids parties at. They do the food, the cleaning, you just bring the kids.’

‘This is Mattie’s fifth birthday and he wants it at home with his friends with an owl cake.’ Cass said. ‘Papa bakes cakes!’ She imitated her son’s words. ‘

‘One of those moments where I regret having learned how to cook,’ Malcolm commented even as he was pouring the batter into the shaped pan. 

‘Grumble grumble grumble.’ Cass nattered at him. ‘And you are loving every last moment of this.’

‘At least Mary’s come round early to keep him out from under my feet.’ Malcolm added. ‘Imagine trying to bake with him racing about like usual.’ Cass slipped her arms around Malcolm’s waist almost making him spill some of the batter. ‘Careful woman!’ 

‘Oh, woman am I?’ Cass nibbled on the back of his neck lightly. ‘That make you all man? With your sweet little apron?’

‘You know I’m all fucking man!’ Malcolm grinned.

‘Language!’ Cass put a finger on his lips. ‘None of that while we’ve got all these kids coming over.’

‘If I behave do I get a reward later?’ Malcolm asked. Cass laughed and kissed him on the lips this time. ‘I shall behave so very well!’ With the cake on to bake, the two of them got to making up platters of kid-sized sandwiches and healthy snacks for them to have as they liked. When the cake was finished that’s when the kids started to arrive. Mattie had invited all of the kids in his school group so there was all of them and their parents arriving. With Mary helping Cass with the youngsters, Malcolm entertained the adults in the house. 

Mattie was in the garden, showing off the playroom that Malcolm had made for him. On the outside of the playroom, Malcolm had designed storage cubbies for various toys which Mattie was opening and closing. ‘Come the fuck in and see what I got inside!’ Mattie was eagerly dragging one of his school friends inside but he had said it loud enough for one of the parents to hear. Cass was quickly informed and Mattie found himself standing in front of his mother. 

‘Mattie, what have we said about adult words?’ Cass was stern. 

‘I’m not to use them.’ Mattie said meekly. It had been some time since he’d last done this but the tone of his mother’s voice made him stick his fist in his mouth. 

‘Apologize to your friends for being naughty.’ Cass directed him. 

Mattie, genuinely cowed, turned to his friends. ‘I’m sorry. I used bad words.’

Dylan, Julie’s boy, answered. ‘You always use bad words, Mattie.’ 

‘I’ve never heard a bad word before.’ Scott, a kid from the school, added. 

‘Sorry!’ Mattie said again. ‘Can we play again now, Mama?’

‘Yes, but if there’s any more bad words the party will be over.’ 

‘Yes, Mama!’ Mattie reprimanded for the moment, walked back to where his friends were to join them in playing. Dylan, his best friend, gave him a hug and handed him a toy car to start racing them with the others. 

The party carried on for some time until the guests all filtered away with just Mary left behind with them. Mary was helping Cass clean up the garden while Malcolm was busy in the kitchen with the dishes and putting the uneaten food in the fridge. He groaned slightly at the number of small kid sandwiches left over. He’d be getting those in his lunches next week guaranteed. At least the veggies and fruit wouldn’t catch him any comments from Jamie. Mattie was at the table watching his father working and half colouring at the same time. 

Mary and Cass came into the kitchen, loaded down with some stacks of plates and cutlery from the guests. ‘Hey, Mattie!’ Mary went over to the boy after depositing her load on the counter for Malcolm. She gave him a hug and a kiss.

‘Mary! Thank you for coming! You come over again this week?’

‘Not til next Sunday, Mattie. I got school all this week and so do you.’ Mary looked at his drawing. ‘What you got there?’

‘It’s Dylan and Emma. They got dolls.’ Mattie was pointing out the images. ‘Dylan’s Papa and Emma’s Mama. That’s me, the boy doll. We played house today.’

‘Who’s the other doll?’ Mary asked. 

‘You.’ Mattie grinned at her. ‘My big sister.’ 

‘Awwww, Mattie!’ Mary gave her cousin a big hug. ‘You are my little bro.’ Mattie gave Mary a sloppy wet kiss. 

‘Right big man, time for you to get a bath and get to bed.’ Cass said. ‘Mary, were you going to stay the night?’

‘No, have to get home. Pops told me to cab home as they’ll have been out drinking. We’re going out early tomorrow.’ 

‘Malcolm, call Mary a cab would you?’ Cass told her husband. ‘Mattie, let’s go!’

‘Yes, Mama! Bye bye Mary!’ With a last hug for Mary he was off racing up the stairs. Cass, giving Mary a hug as well headed up behind him. 

‘Uncle?’ Mary started to help Malcolm with the dishes despite his protests. ‘You know that Mattie swears a fair bit?’

‘I’ve only heard him a few times.’ Malcolm said. ‘What do you mean?’

‘When it was just him and Dylan in the playroom a couple of times, he was dropping f-bombs almost every other word.’ Mary told him. Malcolm groaned. ‘I didn’t really want to snitch on him but he’s starting to do it with others not just Dylan.’

‘F… damn.’ Malcolm caught himself at Mary’s look. ‘Have you told Cass?’

‘No, that’s for you to say not me.’ Mary gave him a hug. ‘He just needs to be told by you. More often though.’

Malcolm ruffled her hair, earning himself a punch from his niece. ‘I’ll talk to him, Mary. Thanks for being such a huge help today.’

‘For my favourite uncle and my little brother I’d do anything!’ Mary told him. There was the beep of a car horn and Mary was taking off in a flash. ‘See you next Sunday!’ Malcolm sighed and just worked on the rest of the cleaning up. Like father like son, he thought. 

When he did make it upstairs, Cass had got Mattie cleaned up and tucked into bed, reading a story to him. Leaning against the door, he just watched them until the story was over and he had his turn at hugging his now 5 year old son. Leaving him to sleep, the two adults went down stairs. 

‘I got a problem, Cass.’ Malcolm admitted to her as they settled in with a final drink for the evening to relax. Cass was sitting with her feet up on his lap, letting him massage her gently. ‘Mary told me that Mattie’s been cursing more than we thought.’

‘And I wonder where he’s picked that up from?’ Cass teased her husband. ‘I did tell you it would be your problem.’

‘I know. He drops it a lot with Dylan. I’m surprised Julie hasn’t said something.’

‘Dylan’s a good little boy, he’s not around that kind of language daily.’

‘If he keeps hanging around Mattie he might.’ Malcolm grimaced. ‘Sweet fucking christ, Cass. What’m I going to do?’

‘Stop cursing around the house would be a good start.’ 

‘It’s the way I am!’ Malcolm groaned. ‘Fucking hell, Cass. Why couldn’t we’ve had a girl. She’d not be hanging around me but you and then we wouldn’t have this problem.’

‘Shush, Malc. A girl can swear just as much as boy.’ A small shadow crossed her eyes. 

‘Ah, shit, sorry, love.’ Malcolm quickly put his glass down and gathered her into a hug. ‘I didn’t mean it that way. I’m blessed to have Mattie and you in my life.’

‘I know, Malcolm. I just think about it myself sometimes.’ Cass looked a bit down. ‘I wish I could give you a daughter.’

Malcolm laid a finger on Cass’s lips. ‘No, don’t worry about that at all my love. No regrets. Never any regrets for what we have together.’ He kissed her emphatically. Cass smiled after and went with him upstairs to bed. Malcolm, closing the bedroom door behind him, began kissing Cass again with more passion. ‘I love you, Cass. Always.’

‘Mmm, Malcolm.’ She rested her hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat strong under her touch. 

‘Our little terror is going to be a very heavy sleeper tonight after today’s craziness.’ Malcolm waggled his eyebrows. ‘We could be a little more.. ambitious.’ He ran a hand over her arm and down to her hips, urging her closer to him.

‘Oh you naughty boy!’ Cass found herself becoming aroused by his touch. 

‘I have my moments, lover.’ Malcolm said, kissing her softly on the lips. She was melting against him and he made a quick move to press her hard against him, letting her feel his growing erection. 

‘Mmm, you are naughty!’

‘You think that’s naughty!’ Malcolm tugged her skirt up and backed her onto the bed, helping her lie down. Cass was already working on his trousers wanting him in that moment just as badly. They made love twice over that night. Not caring if they made any noise for a change. Mattie, happy and tired out, never heard a thing.


	7. Chapter 7

Cass found a letter from her Papa Hunt in the mailbox almost a month after Mattie had turned five. She hadn’t heard from him in ages and hadn’t made any issue of trying to get in touch with him. They had agreed to not pursue anything that would upset his relationship with Nana Hunt. And every year, he had made an effort to send Mattie a small gift for the holidays. With each holiday, Mattie had done up a card for Papa Hunt even if Cass couldn’t send it on to him. She kept them hidden out of reach of her son in the hopes that one day she’d be able to get them to her grandfather. Now, she had a letter from her Papa.

Sweet Cassie,   
I’m writing to you finally as Nana is not doing well. She’s currently in hospital. Her heart is failing and the doctors’ aren’t giving her very much longer. Nana’s beyond any surgery at her age. I can write you safely as she’s not likely to be home to see if you write back at all. I’m spending all day at the hospital with her now but it’s lonely at the house without her around. I wanted you to know as the next time I write will likely be to let you know of her passing. Spare Nana a kind thought if you can, Cassie. Love, Papa.

Cass fought the urge to crumple the letter in hands in frustration. Instead she just sat at the table and cried silent tears. Glad that for the moment, Malcolm and Mattie were in the garden in the playroom being boys together. After a few minutes, she dried her tears and took the letter upstairs to their room and placed it in the locked drawer where she kept anything that Mattie was forbidden to see. Her fingers rested a moment on the ribbon-tied bundle of child-drawn cards for her Papa. 

Over dinner, Cass was subdued and just shook her head when Malcolm tried to prompt her to explain what was going on. Her eyes darted quickly to Mattie, oblivious to his parents silent exchange as he fought to use a knife on a gravy covered chip. Malcolm nodded and let it go until later that evening. She left it to Malcolm to see to Mattie’s bedtime and chose to have a long soak in the tub. A soft knock on the bathroom door was Malcolm asking to join her once Mattie was asleep. 

‘Cass?’ Malcolm sat on the small stool they kept there for bathing Mattie. ‘What’s up?’

‘Papa Hunt wrote me.’ Cass began and felt more tears fall. ‘Nana is dying in hospital.’

‘Shit.’ Malcolm swore. 

‘Her heart is failing. Won’t be long I think. Papa will be alone then.’

‘He’ll have you, Cass, and me. He’s not going to be alone. I’ve never had anything against him. If it had been a choice between you and my parents I’d choose you the same way.’ Malcolm put an arm around his wife. She rested her head against his leg, not caring about the water dripping on his trousers. 

‘He lives so far away. It’s not easy to go back and forth to watch over him.’

‘The back storage room. I can clean it out and give it a re-do. He’d be more than welcome to come stay with us.’

‘You would have him move in with us?’ Cass looked up at him in disbelief. ‘This is Papa.’

‘I know it’s Papa. The same man who gave me his blessing to marry you five years ago. The same man,’ He lifted Cass’s hand in his to kiss her wedding band, ‘who gifted me the rings that we vowed to never part over. Of course he could stay with us. He’s family.’

‘Oh, love.’ Cass stood up and hugged Malcolm hard. ‘Thank you!’

‘I’ll start on getting the back room sorted right away. It’ll be ready for him.’


	8. Chapter 8

‘Minister, look I’ve told you before. You fucking have to pay attention to your lines.’ Malcolm sat in her office. His finger was jamming against the folder in front of him. ‘You came up with this policy. I’ve shined the shit off of it so that it will glow in the papers. If you don’t fucking learn the lines then it’s nothing more than a puddle of piss on the street.’

‘I’m trying Malcolm. I’m still getting used to this.’ Minister Trudy Jones, Secretary of State for Cultural Development, still had moments of being flustered by Malcolm. 

‘I know you are but you have to fucking learn! I have put a lot of effort into getting you up to speed and this is going to be a big fucking deal this evening. If, and this is one fucking hell of a big dildo of a deal, you win this fucking debate tonight then you’re purchase in the party will go fucking skyrocketing.’

‘I’m well aware of that Malcolm. You’ve practically drummed it into my head to the point where I talk in my sleep about you.’

‘Good. Fucking don’t forget that.’ Malcolm opened the folder. ‘Jamie’s got everything prepped and he’ll be with you for the entire telecast.’

‘Why can’t it be you?’ Minister Jones asked.

‘It’s my fucking fifth anniversary! That’s why I’m not going to fucking be there!’ Malcolm reminded her. 

‘Oh,’ The Minister looked sheepish. ‘Congratulations.’

‘Thanks. Jamie knows the fucking lines and will keep you on track. Don’t let that fucking marzipan dildo yank on your twat. Stick to your lines, don’t get fucking rattled and remember that you are fucking better than him!’

Leaving the Minister’s office, Malcolm stopped off at the Department of Social Affairs to bollock the minister for yet another fuck up on a policy release gone wrong. He despaired that the shitpile of a department would ever have a smooth day. 

Jamie was at his office waiting on him to get back. ‘Malcolm! Fuckwit! Did you remember to pick up a gift for Cass?’ Malcolm’s friend had been something of a life-saver for Malcolm over the years. Malcolm could remember facts and figures about policies and departments but he could never remember to pick up something at the shops for Cass. 

‘Ah,’ Malcolm had to stop and think. ‘SAM!’

Sam walked into his office a moment later a gift bag in hand. ‘Here you go Malcolm.’ Jamie guffawed at the sight of Malcolm with a look of utter relief on his face. ‘It’s a small wooden chest with ring inserts for her to place her rings in at night. I had it engraved with the date and your initials.’

‘You are a treasure, Sam.’ Malcolm said. ‘Remind me to give you a raise.’ 

‘Like always, Malcolm. You’re behind about 10 raises now!’

‘You have to remind me, Sam!’ Malcolm said with a laugh. It was regular joshing between them. Malcolm was generous every year with a holiday bonus. 

‘You’re suit is hanging for you to change.’ Sam pointed to the hook in the corner. ‘Enjoy your evening, both of you.’ Sam gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘See you on Monday, Malcolm!’ 

Jamie hung around to help Malcolm get changed into the tux. Malcolm had invited Cass to a candlelit dinner and then tickets to an opera. Angus and Stella had readily agreed to have Mattie for the next two nights. 

Work had gone quickly on the room reno for Papa. Surprisingly, Nana was still hanging on. Cass had sent him a few letters over the past few months since they’d got word originally from him. He’d been over the moon at being accepted by Cass and himself to stay with them. He’d had a few simple requests for his room to accommodate some of his mobility issues and they were easily addressed by some changes to the reno plans. 

Work on the room had just finished the week before and Malcolm was looking forward to just him and Cass, a bottle of champagne and some fresh strawberries, and a luxurious time together.


	9. Chapter 9

It rained the day of Nana Hunt's funeral. True to her word to the end she never spoke to Cass again and it was Papa who called her the day she passed on. She held his hand crying for him not her. He had lost his soulmate. Malcolm stood in the background just watching. Mattie was back in London with Angus and Stella.

Mary had sworn to him hand on heart that she would watch over her cousin like a hawk and Cass had chuckled at that. Winking at her owl. It was the first time they'd been separated from their son for more than an overnight stay with his cousin. So Malcolm was anxious and worried for his son. The sound of dirt falling on the casket brought his attention back to the moment. Friends wished Papa condolences and best for the future but he looked lost and clung to Cass. The only family left to him. 

Malcolm and Cass returned with Papa Hunt to the house Cass had grown up in after the funeral and reception was over. It was hard at first for him to picture Cass growing up there but the two of them fell easily into the comfortable relationship they’d always had as a father and daughter. He fancied that he saw a lot of how her Papa treated her in how she treated their own son. Fairly and gently but not in any way patronizing. 

‘Malcolm, I can’t say enough how much I appreciate you willingly taking me into your home.’ Papa Hunt said when they were alone. Cass and he were planning on staying for at least the next week to get his things packed up and for Cass to arrange the selling of the house. 

‘You’re family, Papa. It goes without saying that we’d do all we can for you.’ Malcolm told him again. Papa was 86 now and not fast on his feet but still mobile. ‘Mattie’s jumping all over waiting to meet you finally. All he ever knew was that you lived too far away for you to visit him. He loved every little gift you sent. If the little terror is too much for you at all just let me or Cass know. We’ll rein him in.’

‘I’d always wanted to be a grandfather to Cassie, you know. Never got the chance though. Had to be her father instead.’ Papa sounded sad for a moment, a few tears slow to slide down his cheeks. His wizened fingers swiped the tears away. ‘Thought I’d have been cried out by now.’ 

‘You’re a strong man, Papa Hunt. Crying is part of being strong, I always say. Cowards hide their real emotions.’ Malcolm knew all too well from his job about that. ‘Anytime you need a cry on a shoulder, I’m there for you sir!’

‘Cass got a good man with you, Malcolm.’ Papa Hunt beamed at him. 

‘Ah, I’m just as lucky to have her for my wife.’ Malcolm declared. ‘Now, let’s get back to this sorting.’

Alone at the end of the day, Malcolm was sharing Cass’s old bed while they stayed for the week. It was a cramped, small bed but they made do. ‘Do you think he’ll be okay with Mattie?’ Malcolm asked. ‘Mattie’s always racing about and jumping on people. Papa can hardly stand on his own.’

‘I expect that Mattie will be on his lap a lot of the time.’ Cass said, smiling with a memory. ‘When I first came to stay with Nana and Papa, I would sit with him all the time and he’d tell story after story to me. He’s a good story teller.’

‘Hope so.’ Malcolm said. 

‘They won’t be alone together all the time, Malcolm. In another years time our little terror is going to be at all day school and will only be with Papa until we get home from work ourselves.’ Cass reminded him. ‘And we’ll still have Mary coming over often. We wouldn’t be able to get her to stay away if we tried! I’ll talk to Julie and let her know that we may have to see how it goes with Dylan coming over a few evenings a week though. Not sure if Papa could handle the two of them on his own.’

‘Cass, we’ll take it one thing at a time. If it works out that Papa can’t manage on his own with Mattie then we’ll just see to it that he’s not.’ Malcolm hugged Cass close to him. ‘I’d rather he still stay with us and have help come in rather than have him on his own in a home. He’d probably die of loneliness far too soon. He’s family. We’ll do all we can for him.’

‘We will.’ Cass agreed. ‘Now, shush. We’ve got a lot on the go tomorrow with the packers coming over to help clear out the furniture to take to storage in London. There’s already some interest on the house so I’m going to be looking over those offers myself. I’m going to make sure that Papa gets the most he can out of this place. He deserves to have the rest of his life be comfortable.’

‘Alright, sleep only then.’ Malcolm sighed.

‘Incorrigible man.’ Cass tousled his short hair. ‘You need a haircut. You’re getting curly at the back.’

‘When we get back home I’ll take care of it.’ Malcolm said. ‘Now, sleep or else...’

‘Give me a little or else first.’ Cass told him breathlessly before kissing him on the lips.


	10. Chapter 10

Move in day came. Angus and Stella had brought Mattie home the day before Papa arrived with Malcolm and Cass to oversee the removals team bringing in Papa’s things. Clothes and mementos were what it amounted to altogether. A wall-mounted TV and bedside radio had been set up already for him to use. 

One thing Papa had not entrusted to anyone else was the cards that Mattie had done for him over the years. Cass had made sure to bring them with her when they’d come to get Papa and the man had been delighted by them. Through them he’d seen Mattie grow up in them from the smallest tot to the most recent one just a few months ago. 

Arriving back home, Cass walked up the front path and was greeted by Mattie launching himself out of the house and into her arms. ‘MAMA! Missed you!’ His arms were around her neck and he was sloppily kissing his mother’s cheek. ‘Hugs and kisses!’ 

‘Mama missed you loads too, Mattie!’ Cass kissed him back. ‘Now, wouldn’t you like to say hi to Grampa finally?’

‘GRAMPA! GRAMPA HERE?’ Mattie squealed and squirmed out of his mother’s arms. 

Papa Hunt was being helped up the path by Malcolm. ‘Mattie! Grampa’s here!’ 

‘GRAMPA!’ Mattie was running down the path and grabbed Papa Hunt around the legs, hugging him. ‘Love you Grampa!’

‘I love you too, Mattie. I’m so glad to finally meet you.’ Papa Hunt’s hand rested on Mattie’s curly head. ‘Is it okay if I come to live with you and your Mama and Papa for a while?’

‘Yes, Grampa! Want you here always!’ Mattie was taking the older man’s hand and tugging him toward the house. ‘We got room for you! Want to show you!’

‘Steady on, Mattie.’ Malcolm said. ‘Grampa’s not young like you. He takes some time to walk about. You gotta be careful with him.’

‘Oh! Grampa! I’m sorry.’ Mattie stopped in his tracks. ‘Want to help you.’

‘You hold my hand and walk with me, okay?’ Papa Hunt said. Mattie nodded in agreement and slowed down to his Grampa’s pace. 

Watching the 86 year old being led into the house by their five year old boy, Cass and Malcolm squeezed one another’s hands and both were smiling. ‘Good call, Malcolm. I’m glad we brought Papa home with us.’


	11. Chapter 11

Despite Cass’s misgivings about Mattie being too energetic for her Papa she was soon proven wrong. Papa would hold Mattie’s hand when he got home after school and walk to the garden if it was nice out and sit on the large rocking chair they put out there for him. Mattie would then run and fetch whatever his Grampa needed. Usually this would mean a juice box or some tissues or a snack for the two of them and he would scramble onto Papa’s lap to listen to whatever story the old man came up with. 

After two weeks, Cass told Julie that they would try out having Dylan come around after school as well. Mattie was ecstatic at having his best friend be there too. Though having the two boys on his lap was too much, that was solved by having two small chairs set by the rocking chair and soon the two boys were sitting attendance on Papa. 

One evening, as the two boys were sat there with juice boxes and snacks of apple pieces, Papa was telling them a story about how he had watched the game winning goal of a championship football match. Both boys loved playing football and Papa knew how to make a story come alive for young boys. Malcolm, arriving home, had come to the garden to fetch Dylan for him to head home as his father, Harry, had arrived to get him. ‘Dylan! Home time.’

‘Papa! Fuck off! Gramps is talking still!’ Mattie scowled at his father’s interruption. 

Grampa pursed his lips a moment and then started to guffaw in amusement at the look on Malcolm’s face. Dylan’s reaction was just a shrug. He was immune now to Mattie’s use of the eff word. ‘Mattie!’ Malcolm, barking sternly at the boy, dropped to a knee in front of his son. ‘What have I told you! No adult words!’ He shook his son by the shoulder. ‘In front of your Grampa too!’

His father’s reaction took Mattie by surprise and the boy burst into tears. 

Harry, drawn by the squalls of Mattie, had joined them in the garden. Taking Dylan by the hand, Harry said his goodnight and Malcolm profusely apologized for Mattie’s behaviour. ‘It’s okay, Malcolm. Out of the mouths of babes. We’ll see you all on the weekend for Saturday dinner?’

‘Yeah, Harry. Til Saturday.’ Malcolm was struggling with his son in his grip. ‘Stop that Mattie. We’re going to have a talk about this. Grampa, I am so sorry for this.’ Harry left with Dylan and Malcolm marched his son into the kitchen and, perhaps a little roughly, sat him in his seat. He pulled up his own seat and glared at his son. Cass, drawn by the commotion, joined them in the kitchen but hung back to let him handle his son. 

Mattie, still bawling, sat there rubbing his eyes and his cheeks were blotchy. ‘I’m sorry, Papa!’

‘You promised me, Mattie. You said you would remember to not use adult words any more.’

‘I did, Papa!’ Mattie coughed and hiccuped as he tried to talk around his bawling.   
‘You broke that promise, Mattie.’

‘I’m sorry Papa!’ He held out his hands, begging his father to forgive him.

‘No, Mattie. No hugs yet. You need to understand that saying those words is bad.’

‘But you say them!’ 

‘I’m an adult. You aren’t!’ Malcolm was becoming impatient, trying to get his son to understand.

‘Just wanna be like you!’ Mattie hiccupped again. 

‘You’re not.. ‘ Malcolm froze at his son’s words. ‘Me.’

‘Wanna be same as you, Papa.’ 

‘Mattie,’ Malcolm was struggling now. Cass stepped in finally, kneeling down beside her son. 

‘Mattie, your Papa isn’t proud that he uses those words. He uses them when he has to but he doesn’t want you to use them too.’

‘Proud?’ Mattie wasn’t really sure what that word meant. 

‘Papa knows he shouldn’t use them. And he wants you to be better than Papa and not use them.’

‘So, Papa says bad words too?’

‘Yes, son. I do.’ Malcolm admitted.

‘I did bad then. And you do bad too.’ Mattie was working it out for himself. 

‘Yes, Mattie. Papa does bad too.’

‘Does Mama yell at you when you do bad?’

‘She does Mattie.’ Malcolm said with a grimace. ‘She tells me to stop when I say them around her.’

‘We do better together?’ Mattie asked his father, reaching out to him again. Cass looked at Malcolm with a meaningful look. 

‘Yeah, Mattie. We’ll do better together. If you say the bad words I’ll tell you and if I say a bad word you tell me off.’  
‘For Mama?’

‘Yeah, Mattie. We’ll do it for Mama. Together.’ Malcolm finally took his son in his arms for a hug. Cass stroked Mattie’s head and kissed Malcolm on the cheek. 

‘I know you’ll both make Mama proud.’ 

That night, lying in bed beside Cass, Malcolm stared at the ceiling for some time until Cass, setting her book to one side, curled up against him. ‘What’s eating at you, Malc?’

‘Earlier.’ Malcolm said. ‘Mattie was afraid of me.’

‘His father finally got serious with him.’ Cass told him. ‘About time too.’

‘Huh?’

‘You are the most sensitive man and father I ever had the joy of loving but sometimes you have to learn to be more firm with your son. And tonight you were.’ 

‘You think I’ve been spoiling him?’ Malcolm asked, bristling slightly.

‘No, just not firm enough. He’s a little boy not one of your dim-witted ministers that you’re bollocking all the time. Mattie needed to know his boundaries and now he does.’ Cass smiled softly. ‘But you both made me a promise didn’t you?’

‘Hmm?’ Malcolm looked at her, placing his hand over hers as it rested on his chest. ‘Oh, the cursing. You know I won’t stop.’

‘At work you won’t.’ Cass agreed. ‘At home you will.’

‘Well, I’ll try.’ 

‘You’ll try very very hard, won’t you Malcolm?’ Cass said sweetly as her hand moved down his stomach to his groin. ‘Mattie can be put in his place by a stern look and word from his Papa. I, on the other hand, know just how to keep his Papa in line.’ Her hand cupped around his privates giving him a squeeze. 

‘Oy!’ Malcolm squawked in surprise. ‘Alright! I’ll behave! Don’t do that again!’

Cass kissed his chin. ‘I think you got the point.’ Her squeeze turned into a gentle caress. 

‘Yeah, I did.’ Malcolm nodded and then pulled her on top of him, making her laugh.


	12. Chapter 12

‘Good afternoon, Malcolm.’ Julius Nicholson wandered into Malcolm’s office.

‘Julius! How’s the PM’s favourite balding monkey grinder doing?’ Malcolm sat back in his chair, peeling a tangerine. ‘What’s brought you into the light of day?’

‘I wouldn’t normally engage in boring office gossip but I heard something quite interesting today that I think would be of great interest to you.’ Julius offered the morsel of information to Malcolm as he snagged a tangerine for himself.

‘And that would be..’ Malcolm gestured with his hand to have him continue.

‘Your wife’s ex-husband.’ Julius started.

‘Wagner? What about that limp-dicked marzipan dildo?’ Malcolm’s tone was filled with venomous hate for the man for what he had put Cass through.

‘Seems like his wife has dumped him.’ Julius grinned as he ate another piece of tangerine. 

Malcolm stopped eating and just stared at Julius. ‘She’s dumped him? How do you know?’

‘I’m good friends with one of the senior partners in that law firm. It’s no secret that he’s been left holding an empty bag. Rumour mill is churning hard and fast that their only child wasn’t even his. The sweet little darling was playing him for a fool while having a lover the whole time. When they got married and she moved in they hired on a gardener. Turns out that was her lover.’

‘You are fucking shitting me!’ Malcolm couldn’t believe his ears. ‘So the kid isn’t even his? The bastard dumped Cass for a lover who was pregnant with someone else’s fucking kid.’

‘That’s the sum of it.’ Julius confirmed. 

Malcolm sat back and grinned. ‘Karma is such a bitch, isn’t it Julius.’


	13. Chapter 13

PM loses vote of confidence. 

‘Fucking fuck me!’ Malcolm was going through a litany of every single variety of curse that he had ever come up with over the years. Jamie was pacing back and forth himself. ‘God damn fucking stupid policy vote without a god damn fucking majority vote and now the opposition win a no confidence vote! Fuck Fuck Fuck!’

‘Now we get to go through a snap fucking election.’ Jamie grumbled. 

‘Fucking remind me!’ Malcolm slumped in his chair. ‘We won’t win. The governing party never gets re-elected after a no confidence vote. We can only try and limit the damage.’

‘I know.’ Jamie finally sat down himself. ‘I’ll draw up the list strongest to weakest?’

‘Yeah. Trudy Jones. We do everything we can to get her elected.’ Malcolm told Jamie. His friends eyebrow shot up. ‘This is a blip. We take the next two years to polish her and have her lead the party. Once she does get that we’ll be back in power.’

‘You think so?’ Jamie asked, a bit surprised at Malcolm’s prediction.

‘Fuck yes. In two years, she’ll be the leader and she’s going to do everything ten times better than Thatcher did. Once she gets in, I’m going out.’ Malcolm said quietly.

‘Sorry? Did I just hear you right?’ Jamie asked. 

‘Yes, you did. And you’re the only one who does. I haven’t even told Cass my plan.’

‘Shit.’ Jamie couldn’t believe it. ‘I was thinking of retirement in another 10 years.’

‘There you go. You get my job when I leave. You’ll get the shit all on your own after I’m finished.’ Malcolm grinned. ‘But I’ll leave with the Party in power and stable.’

‘Damn.’ Jamie just shook his head. ‘Never expected that now.’


	14. Chapter 14

Cass woke up at four a.m. Her stomach was turning over and she was throwing up. She tried to not make much noise but Malcolm had already been roused slightly when she left the bed. Malcolm came into the washroom and was rubbing her back while she finished. With a cloth he helped her clean up. 

‘You okay now?’ Malcolm asked her as she straightened up. 

‘Better. Stomach seems to have settled again now.’

‘Go see the doctor in the morning, okay?’ Malcolm told her, his arm hugging her. 

‘It’s just a stomach bug.’ Cass told him.

‘You are going to the doctor tomorrow. You never throw up.’ Malcolm was adamant. ‘Don’t make me go with you.’

‘Fine, doctor first thing in the morning.’ Cass agreed. ‘Back to sleep now?’ Malcolm nodded and they were soon curled up again together in bed.

The doctor was accommodating and was willing to see Cass right away as an emergency appointment. After doing a full physical exam and a urine test, the doctor sat across from Cass. ‘Well, you proved me wrong once. It’s no surprise that you’re going to prove me wrong a second time.’

‘What do you mean, Doctor?’ Cass was fidgeting with her bag. 

‘You’re expecting again.’ The doctor smiled. ‘Congratulations.’

‘Thank you.’ Cass took the news of this second pregnancy much better than the first one. She wanted to run right to Malcolm and tell him the news but he would be incredibly busy with the election so she waited until that evening.

Malcolm was late getting home that night, both Mattie and Papa were already asleep. All he could do was hang up his coat, loosen his tie and strip off his jacket before collapsing on the sofa. Cass poured him a scotch and had him sit up just long enough to sit down for him to rest his head on her lap. ‘Love, I’m sorry I’m late.’

‘It’s to be expected with the election.’ Cass said. ‘It’s only another month to election day. I can handle it. Papa is such a big help in the evenings now. Keeps Mattie company so that I can get dinner ready and all ready for the next day. ‘Hungry?’

‘No, I ate something with Jamie during our late night meeting.’ Malcolm managed to take hold of her hand and played with her fingers. ‘Missed you loads today, love. How’d it go at the doctor’s?’

‘Well,’ Cass fondled his fingers back. ‘He ran a few tests.’

‘Mmm?’ Malcolm sipped his scotch. 

‘Malc.. ‘ Her hand moved to his chest, rubbing it just over his heart. ‘I love you. So very much. We’re going to have another child.’ 

‘We what?’ Malcolm sat up, holding her hand. ‘Another child?’

‘Yes!’ Cass was throwing her hands around Malcolm, holding him close. ‘It’s too early to know if it’s a boy or girl but the doctor is recommending a similar close monitoring of the pregnancy. I’ll have to tell the firm. Work until I have to take maternity leave. I hope I can take this one longer to end of the normal term.’

Malcolm placed his hand on her tummy, as if he could feel their child already. ‘Cass, love. This is such wonderful news! Another child!’

‘I know! I’ll tell Papa and Mattie tomorrow at dinner. Think you may get home on time?’

‘Tomorrow I will do my fucking damnedest!’

‘Sh! Language!’ Cass told him off and then they fell into kissing.


	15. Chapter 15

One person that wouldn’t wait on being told was Julie. Lunch found the two friends meeting and enjoying some girl time together. 

‘Oh, Cass! That is so wonderful! And neither of you expected to ever have more than Mattie. He must be thrilled.’

‘I haven’t told him yet.’ Cass admitted. ‘Or Papa. Just Malcolm.’

‘Why not?’

‘Wanted to tell Malcolm first.’ Cass said shyly. 

‘Harry and I keep trying for a second child too.’ Julie admitted. ‘Nothing yet though. I’ve been taking some fertility drugs in the past few months. I don’t want Dylan to get too much older before we have another.’

‘Speaking of Dylan,’ Cass broached the sensitive subject. ‘Does he ever curse at home?’

‘We’ve heard a few damns but that was all. He’s mentioned Mattie’s bad words but we talked to him about it. Mattie does it a lot at home does he?’

‘Not in earshot that often.’ Cass admitted. ‘We’ve had talks with him and the complaints from school have slowed down. Malcolm’s had to curb himself at home but I’m sure he’s still swearing like a trooper at the office. That will never change.’

‘No, that won’t!’ Julie laughed. ‘Dylan loves your Papa. Calls him Grampa too.’

‘Papa loves the boys to bits. He always wanted grandkids but when the accident happened he had to put on his father hat again. I can’t wait to tell him that he’ll have a little baby to spoil as well.’

‘You are such a blessed woman, Cass.’ Julie smiled at her friend. ‘Coming through everything that you have and succeeding.’

‘Oh Julie! You have too, with Harry and Dylan and your career.’

‘Come by this weekend, we’ll have a Saturday dinner.’

‘Alright, I can ask Mary to come over and they can watch Mattie and Dylan with Papa and we can make it a proper adults dinner.’


	16. Chapter 16

‘Malcolm? You’ll be home for dinner right?’ Cass was on the phone to her husband.

‘I’m on my way home now, Cass. I made Sam push me out of the office on time.’ Malcolm was indeed pulling his jacket on. 

‘Did you tell her?’ Cass asked. 

‘Yes, I did. Had to explain why I needed to leave.’ Malcolm had to switch hands a moment while getting his other arm into his jacket. ‘Sam sends her congratulations. Need me to pick anything up? Wine?’

‘I think I’ll be forgoing the wine for a while.’ 

‘Ah, right!’ Malcolm chuckled. ‘See you soon, love.’

Malcolm was heading out the office when Jamie cornered him. ‘Malc, problem.’

‘Sort it or abort it. I’m off home. Telling my boy and Grampa about Cass’ pregnancy over dinner.’

‘It’s about Cass.’ Jamie said quietly. 

‘What?’ Malcolm looked at Jamie with concern. 

‘One of my old buddies at the paper passed on to me that there was this bloke digging up info on Cass. Trying to find out where she’s at.’

‘What sort of bloke?’

‘Her ex.’ Jamie said.

‘Really?’ Malcolm looked intrigued more than he was annoyed. ‘He gets the dump by his current wife and now he’s going to chase the skirts of the woman he ditched for her. And that’s Cass. And that is not fucking happening.’ 

‘Like fucking shit it will. You need me to help with anything, Malc, just let me know.’

‘Your buddy, was he trying to find where she’s working?’

‘That and a home address.’

‘Which is all in my fucking name and not hers so that’s going to be a hell of a do for him.’ Malcolm stood in thought for a few minutes. ‘Jamie, can you get your buddy to lay out for us as to what info was given to that fucktard Wagner?’

‘Sure thing, Malc. I’ll have it for you by morning.’ Jamie assured his friend and headed to his office. 

Lost in thought, Malcolm hopped in the car and spent the ride thinking of how he could play this out and keep it out of Cass’ vision. She didn’t need any shit from that fuckwit at this time. He had a sketch of a plan of attack in his head by the time he arrived home and was ready for a relaxing joyful night with his family.

Entering the house, Mattie was running to the front door and hugging his father. ‘Papa!’

‘Hey you!’ Malcolm lifted his son up in his arms and carried him into the kitchen. ‘Grampa! How’re you this evening?’

‘Doing well, Malcolm. Saw you on TV today in the background of some press conference.’ Grampa was already sat at the table. He was tidying up the spread of colouring pencils into the tub they used for them. ‘Mattie, were you done you’re picture?’

‘No!’ Mattie said. ‘Finish it tomorrow.’ 

Cass, smiling, came over and hugged her husband. ‘Welcome home, Malcolm.’ 

‘Ah, the love of my life!’ Malcolm got a kiss in on her cheek. Mattie, still in his father’s arms, made smooching noises and then manage to plant a kiss on Cass’ cheek as well. ‘Hey, that’s my woman you’re making a move on boy!’ Malcolm teased his son.’ Mattie just giggled happily and then squirmed to be let down. 

‘Thanks, Grampa!’ Mattie was taking the tub of colouring pencils and his half-done picture to put safely away. 

‘You two are quite happy this evening.’ Grampa smiled as he could tell they were conspiring together.

‘After dinner, Grampa.’ Cass said and gave her grandfather a hug too. ‘It’s all good news.’

Once they’d eaten and Malcolm had set down dishes of ice cream for all, he sat back down beside Cass and draped an arm over her shoulders. Cass grinned. ‘Well, you two. Papa and I have an announcement to make.’

‘What’s an ‘nouncement?’ Mattie asked. 

‘It’s when someone has something very important to say. You have to be quiet when they say that.’ Grampa explained to the young boy. 

‘Okay!’ Mattie nodded and then waited quietly.

‘Thanks,’ Cass said. ‘Now, we have some very good news.’ She paused and looked at Malcolm. ‘We’re expecting another child.’

‘You are?’ Grampa said, surprised at first but then beaming. ‘Congratulations!’

‘Don’t understand.’ Mattie said.

‘Mattie, you’re going to be a big brother.’

‘A big brother?’ Mattie had to think on that a moment. ‘I’m gonna have a little brother?’

‘Or a little sister.’ Cass said. 

‘A sister! Like Mary?’ Mattie was figuring it out now.

‘We don’t know if it’s a brother or sister yet.’ Malcolm said. ‘But you’re going to be a big brother.’

‘I’m a big brother!’ Mattie was off his chair and running to his mother to try and get in her lap and hug her. 

‘Careful, Mats.’ Malcolm got up and helped his son sit properly on his mother’s lap. ‘Your baby brother or sister is growing in your Mama’s tummy. We have to be careful with Mama now.’

‘Oh, careful! Sorry Mama!’ Mattie cuddled his mother more gently. ‘Baby is in your tummy?’

‘Yes, Mattie. That’s where babies grow first.’ Cass took her son’s hand and placed it on her stomach. ‘Soon you’ll be seeing your Mama’s tummy growing as the baby gets bigger.’

Mattie grinned. ‘I wanna be the bestest big brother ever.’ 

‘You’ll be such a great big brother, Mattie.’ Malcolm ruffled his son’s hair. 

‘You two just let me know what you need from me and I’ll help you out all I can.’ Grampa said. 

‘You’re already such a big help, Grampa.’ Cass was hugging her son. ‘Right, Mattie?’

‘I love Grampa. And I love my baby sister.’ 

‘It may be a baby brother.’ Cass told her son. ‘We don’t know yet.’

Mattie, beaming and sounding very confident. ‘Baby sister!’ 

Malcolm shook his head with a chuckle. ‘We’ll see, son. We’ll see!’


	17. Chapter 17

‘Right, Malc. My buddy says that Wagner was doing a public search on the legal news to see what she’s been up too lately. Then he had a search done on any other news articles that would have referenced her.’

‘And that would have turned up what?’ Malcolm asked.

‘She’s been referred to in passing on five cases that went to a court hearing and then the wedding and birth announcements.’

‘So he knows I’m married to Cass?’ 

‘Yes. He didn’t do a search on you though. I suspect that he’s doing the same for you as he would have done with Cass. Doing his own online search first.’ Jamie looked at a notepad. ‘That’s going to flood him with a shitload of piss to go through given how often you’ve had your hands in the government shitpiles. Eventually he’ll figure out where you live.’

‘I’m unlisted.’ Malcolm said.

‘But you were also photographed at your house the one time when you’d been let go. It’s not going to take a lot of effort to track your address off that coverage.’ 

‘Right, can you get your buddy to do me a favour?’

‘What?’ Jamie asked.

‘Hire someone to watch the fucking bastard. He goes near my place or Cass I want to know about it ASAFP.’

‘It’ll be done.’ Jamie assured him and then they turned to the current election strategies again.


	18. Chapter 18

Malcolm was home early to make dinner for a change. He was scheduled to go back into the office for a late night so he’d offered to pick up the boys from school, drop Dylan at home and spend some time with Mattie. Grampa watched from his rocking chair as Malcolm spent a good hour with Mattie playing football in the garden. 

‘Okay, Mattie.’ Malcolm eventually called a halt, breathing hard. ‘I gotta get making dinner now. You sit with Grampa while I do?’

‘Will do, Papa.’ Mattie hugged his father and went to sit with his Grampa. 

Inside, Malcolm was whipping up a good curry for dinner and glanced out every so often to check on Mattie and Grampa. When it was on to simmer, he went out to listen in to Grampa’s story. Mattie was on his little chair, eagerly listening and scratching by his ear often.’Something wrong Mattie?’

‘Nothing, Papa.’ Mattie kept scratching. ‘My gum dried up.’

‘Sorry? Your gum?’ Malcolm was at his son’s side. ‘What gum?’

‘Had gum at play time. Put it behind my ear.’ Mattie grinned. ‘Like Mama’s pencils.’

‘You put gum behind your ear?’

‘For later. But it dried up.’ Mattie shrugged. Malcolm looked behind his son’s ear and found a wad of gum dried up and stuck in his hair. ‘OW!’ Mattie squawked when Malcolm tried to get the gum out. 

‘Uh, Mattie, gum really doesn’t belong in your hair or behind your ear.’ He tried again to get the gum out but only succeeded in making his son squawk again. ‘Sorry, Mattie. We gotta get that gum out.’

‘Can’t have it now?’ Mattie asked. 

‘Course not. It’s all dried up.’ Malcolm gave up on teasing it out of his son’s hair. ‘Well, buddy. That’s not coming out easily so… time for you to get a haircut. Get to look like your Papa.’

‘Yay! Grampa! I’m gonna look like Papa!’ 

‘Cass won’t like his curls coming off. She likes his curly hair.’

‘Well, you got a better idea to get the gum out?’

‘No. Sorry.’ Grampa shrugged. ‘Never had gum stuck in the kids’ hair.’

‘Back in sec.’ Malcolm headed upstairs and got his shaver. He changed the setting on it and brought it to the kitchen. ‘Right, Mattie. In your chair.’

Mattie jumped up to his chair and sat still while his Papa began to shave his hair off. The first part was the large patch that was stuck with the gum. Soon, there was just a few spots left and Cass arrived home from work. ‘What on earth?’

‘Mama! Gum doesn’t belong in my hair.’ Mattie said with a serious face and then rubbed bits of hair off his face. 

‘No, it doesn’t.’ Cass looked at Malcolm, who was about to shave another strip of hair off his son. ‘But shaving it all off?’ Malcolm held up the large tangled mass that had the gum in it. ‘Right. A bit big for just a trim.’

‘Just a bit.’ Malcolm grinned. ‘I don’t do mohawk cuts.’

‘I look like Papa now!’ Mattie said as the last bit of his curly hair fell to the kitchen floor. Rubbing his hands on his newly shaved hair, Mattie was grinning. Cass couldn’t believe how much the boy looked like Malcolm. ‘No more gum. I’ll be good now.’

‘Yeah, Mattie. No more gum.’ Malcolm rubbed his son’s head to clear off any last bits of hair. He’d left him with just the barest bit of hair all over. ‘Right, dinner will be ready in a few. Let’s get this hair cleaned up. Scoot.’ Malcolm waved his son off the chair and moved it back to the table. Cass, already off to the cupboard came back with the broom and the hair was quickly swept up. 

Cass shot Malcolm a look at dinner time when his mobile rang. ‘Sorry, love.’ 

He got up and left the table to take the call in the sitting room. ‘Jamie? What’s up? I’m returning to the office in another hour for the meeting tonight.’

‘Just got word. Her ex has figured out your address. He’s probably nearby right now. He was being followed.’ Jamie was speaking quietly.

Malcolm went to the front window and looked out. There was a car on the street that he’d not seen before. It was hard in the gloom of the evening to see if someone was sitting in there but he stiffened up. ‘This is war, Jamie.’

‘What do you want me to do?’

‘I want a history on this bastard. I will fuck him over.’ Malcolm hissed under his breath. 

‘On it.’ Jamie said. Malcolm hung up the phone and peered out the window right at the driver side of the car. After a moment, the car turned on and he briefly saw a man at the wheel before it drove off. 

‘Not coming near my family, fucking prick.’ Malcolm muttered and returned to the kitchen, smile on his face and hugging his wife.


	19. Chapter 19

Life for the Tuckers fell into a routine over the next few weeks. Cass had twice weekly checkups for the baby, Mattie behaved for the most part at school and Malcolm was tied up with the election and spent most days and evenings at the office, just going home for a dinner break and a bit of time with his son. The memory of that car on the street watching the house haunted him though. Jamie had hired on the private investigator to follow the bastard and dig up everything he could on Wagner. 

The election kept him occupied but every so often Jamie would give him an update from the private eye. Plus he had his buddy at the paper keeping him in the loop on that score. So, that morning, when Jamie came in with a subdued look on his face Malcolm put down his pen and waited. 

‘The bastard’s been tagging her office as well as the house.’ Jamie said. ‘Hasn’t approached her yet. But this piece frightens me.’ He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Malcolm.

Malcolm read the page and looked sharply at Jamie. ‘Is this for real?’

‘Yeah. Papers were lodged 2 weeks ago at court.’

‘Anything on the police books?’

‘Disturbance at the home, signs of violence but everything else has been hushed up.’ Jamie filled him in. ‘Stands to reason with his position in his legal firm.’

‘Yeah, well the fucker hasn’t met me yet.’ Malcolm thought for a moment.

‘What you thinking?’

‘Have the private eye deliver a message to the bastard for me. If he continues to spy on my family or think of approaching then he will be very very sorry. He knows who I am and if he has any problems he can make an appointment with me.’

‘You sure?’ Jamie asked.

Malcolm waved the page in his hand. ‘He wants to push this, I’ll push him so fucking hard he’ll be finding himself in a law firm in the back of fucking beyond he’ll be happy to get the heroin users wanting help getting off pickpocket charges as clients.’


	20. Chapter 20

Two nights later, Malcolm was at home just finishing dinner when his mobile rang. Excusing himself from the table he headed to the sitting room to be out of earshot of Mattie. ‘Listen, Minister, don’t fucking think so much. We do the thinking and you do the fucking talking. I know what we’ve talked about but that’s for after we’re back in fucking power. That’s all a load of shite if we’re the opposition.’ Standing at the window and looking out he saw the same fucking car parked there. This time it was just light enough for him to see a man in the driver seat watching his house. ‘Minister, I’ll be back in the office in an hour. This can fucking wait til then.’ He hung up the phone and then was on the phone to Jamie. ‘Jamie, that fucking prick Wagner is back at my house parked up. Did that fucktard not speak to him?’

‘He did, yesterday.’

‘Then all fucking bets are off. Wagner is now going to be dead to all of London.’

‘Papa! Bad words!’ Mattie was tugging at his trouser leg. 

‘Shit, Jamie. I’ll talk to you later.’ Malcolm hung up on his friend and knelt to face his son.

‘Bad bad words. You promised!’ Mattie was scowling at his father. 

‘I’m sorry, Mattie. I shouldn’t have used those words here at home.’ Malcolm rubbed his son’s head, liking the shorter hair rather than the mass of curls Cass had wanted him to have. ‘You did a good job reminding me not too.’

‘Good. No bad words!’ Mattie poked his father on the nose before running off again.

Malcolm sighed. The little terror was probably off to tell Cass he cursed too. He hoped that he didn’t mention Wagner at all. He didn’t want her to worry about that bastard.

Steeling himself, he went into the kitchen and quietly helped with the cleanup while Cass was helping her Papa settle in his bed for the night. Mattie was quietly drawing on the kitchen table. When Cass returned, she slipped her arm around his waist and kissed him lightly on the cheek. ‘Mattie told me.’

‘Gathered he would.’ Malcolm replied quietly. 

‘He’s learning. So are you.’ She told her husband. ‘Off to work again?’

‘Yes. Again. Only another week and three days to election day. Soon be back to normal.’

‘Good. We miss you.’ Cass told him. ‘See you when you get home.’


	21. Chapter 21

‘Right, Jamie, time to deal with this prick.’ Malcolm picked up the phone and called his connection at the Guardian. ‘Hello there, I have a story for you. I have a lead on a highly regarded lawyer from the largest corporate legal firm in London that has been issued a restraining order for violence towards his ex. I’d really appreciate it if that could be intimated in one of your gossip columns. Of course I have proof.’ Malcolm looked at the public copy of the restraining order. ‘It clearly states the name of said lawyer. Yes, just a gossip titbit for the moment. Of course I’ll do you a favour in return. Thanks. Tomorrow’s morning edition would be ideal.’

Jamie grinned. ‘Done.’

‘Done.’ Malcolm said. ‘Now, tell our private eye to pass on an invitation to our good friend Wagner to drop by my office tomorrow. Time to meet the vile piece of shite.’

The next morning, Malcolm was in his office when Sam announced the arrival of Wagner. On first sight, Malcolm could only wonder what had drawn Cass to this fellow in the first place. He was almost the exact opposite of himself, he thought. 

‘Mr. Tucker?’ Wagner sat down in the offered chair. ‘To what do I owe this pleasure? Certainly you have your own legal team for any concerns you may need assistance with.’

‘Oh. I don’t need any legal assistance. Mr. Morris. What I do need is to have a brief word with you.’

‘If you’re not seeking legal advice, I’ll be off.’

‘Sit.’ Malcolm told him coldly and looked at him with his best bollocking face. He picked up the paper and handed the circled gossip column. ‘Read.’

Wagner took the paper and looked at it and then at Malcolm. 

‘That is your one and only warning.’ Malcolm pointed at the paper. ‘I know it. You know it. There’s no name on that.’ Malcolm leaned over the pudgy, aged looking fellow. He had less of a backbone then the ministers he dealt with. ‘I’m no woman for you to lay hands on. So you’d best pay close attention to me. You even think of breathing near any member of my family ever again you will find yourself in the papers in ways that will make you want to emigrate to a country that has only just learned about running water and flushing toilets.’

‘You talk big, Mr. Tucker.’ Wagner got up, furious. ‘You’re just as weak as any woman. Words mean nothing. Actions mean everything.’ 

‘One warning. That’s all.’ Malcolm told him. ‘You gave Cass up years ago. Don’t think that just because you’ve gotten your cock ripped off by some other woman that you’re going to find the fountain of youth with her. You made your choice. You have to live with it. She made hers and she’s quite happy.’

‘With you?’ Wagner sneered at him. ‘A tired, blowhard government dog? Once she knows I’m open to reconciling she’ll be back in my arms in a flash.’

‘Good luck with that, fucktard. She’s my wife. Go after her and you will be very, very sorry. There’s one restraining order with your name on it. I’m sure a second one will be very easy to arrange.’

‘Give it a try, Mr. Tucker. I’m a lawyer. I know the law. Try anything to slander my name and you’ll be the one losing your job.’ Wagner got up and left the office in a huff. 

Jamie came back in. ‘He looked unhappy.’ He commented. 

‘Contact the private eye. I want immediate notification if he approaches her office or the house.’ Malcolm picked up the phone and was talking to his contact at the Guardian. ‘I’m sending you a package via courier. Write up an article about him and sit on it for now. Yeah, an exclusive interview will be yours with Minister Jones once she’s elected. Thanks! I’ll be in touch.’

Jamie looked at Malcolm with a grin. ‘Your favour back is to advance your wunderkind.’

‘Of course!’ Malcolm laughed. ‘It works all way round. Now, what are we doing about that immigrant cock up?’


	22. Chapter 22

Two nights later, Malcolm was at home on time for dinner and wasn’t set to go out again. As a result, they were having a family movie night with one of Mattie’s favourite movies on and sharing popcorn. Cass was sat up, Malcolm stretched out on the sofa with his head on her lap, with Mattie sat on his legs within reach of the popcorn bowl. Grampa was sitting in an armchair busy with his crossword puzzle. Malcolm was immune now to his son’s unerring ability to fall on him or punch him accidentally in his groin area. Tonight his son’s blind reaching for popcorn found him punching his father a number of times. After a third punch, Malcolm just moved the popcorn bowl further towards his son. 

His mobile buzzed in his pocket. ‘Sh.. shoot.’ Malcolm scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket. Jamie. What the fuck did he want this time of night? ‘Jamie! What do I owe this pleasure to?’

‘PAPA! Movie!’ Mattie gave him a look to shush his father. 

‘Sorry, son!’ Malcolm held the bowl of popcorn while Mattie settled against his mother instead and he left the sitting room. ‘Jamie.. sorry. What’s going on? There’s no interviews on the go tonight.’

‘Just got word. You’re friend is parked outside your front door.’

‘FUCK!’ Malcolm swore and stormed to the sitting room and looked outside. The same car was there. ‘Trigger time. Thanks, Jamie.’

‘Malcolm?’ Cass looked at him with concern. 

‘Papa! Bad word!’ 

‘Sorry, son. Cass, I’ll tell you in a few.’ Malcolm left the house and went to the back garden away from the rest of the family. ‘Hey, Frank. Sorry to bother you so late. That article you have pending for me. You know the law firm in question? Right. Go to the senior man there and give him a preview and ask if they’d like to comment on it prior to publication. Thanks.’

Malcolm dialled another number. ‘Jamie, me again. Call the private eye and thank him for his help. Pay him an appropriate bonus and give me the bill tomorrow. I’ll square up. The end game is on.’

Job done, Malcolm took a deep breath in of the evening air. Cass came out to join him. ‘What’s up, Malc?’

‘Fucking shit at work. I’ve got a stalker now. Security told me he was tracked to our place. I’ve had them move him off. But I’ll have to do some scrambling tomorrow on it.’

‘Why would anyone want to stalk you?’ Cass asked, concerned for her husband.

‘No clue. But once I do I’ll get it taken care of so don’t worry about it, love.’ Malcolm kissed his wife. ‘Let’s go finish watching the movie.’


	23. Chapter 23

Things moved quickly in the next two days. Frank at the Guardian called Malcolm the next morning and there was a good chuckle between the two of them. Presented with the plain, legal available facts of the case for the story the law firm were close-lipped but had requested a deferral of one day prior to publication by the Guardian for them to prepare a statement. That evening, Wagner was watching their house again but he didn’t move on when Malcolm stepped out on the front step to stare at him. 

Cass had come to the door, concerned by Malcolm’s behavior. ‘Back inside, Cass. I’m handling this.’

‘Love, why not just call the police.’ Cass tugged at his arm. 

‘It’s under control, Cass. Now, please, go back inside.’ Malcolm told her in a tone that told her to not argue with him. She did as he ordered but he felt her eyes in the back of his neck. He could explain everything after. He kept watch on the car across the road a while longer. His mobile rang and he spoke to Frank.

‘Am I publishing?’

‘Yes.’ Malcolm said. ‘It’s a go.’

‘The law firm haven’t confirmed a reaction interview yet.’

‘Give me five minutes then.’ Malcolm hung up and then crossed the street to the car. ‘Well, Mr. Morris, having a quiet night in the car?’

‘You will pay, Tucker.’ Wagner hissed.

‘Not a good day for you then?’

‘I’ve been packaged off. They offered me a desk job in York or permanent out the door.’ Wagner said, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles had gone white. ‘I leave for York tomorrow. I want to speak to Cass.’

‘Go to fucking York. Enjoy the fucking coast there. Never cross paths with my family ever again and that article stays unpublished.’

‘I want to speak to Cass.’

‘Here’s the plan, ya fucking thick headed shite, you are going to drive away and keep fucking driving until you reach York. You will NOT speak to my wife. If you re-appear at my door or at her office or even attempt to call my wife I will see that article published. You will be exposed forever in the public eye as a wife-beater who hides behind your fancy legal position to avoid being caught. And your employer will be named as well as it was their lawyer who covered your sorry wrinkled arsehole from being pulled up to reality years ago. Not to mention how the woman you married was enjoying the sexual favours of a lover who, a regular paternity test has confirmed was the actual father to your ‘child’. Which is public knowledge based on the facts included in the case regarding the restraining order.’

‘You are a sick bastard.’ Wagner growled. 

‘And you are waste of dead skin that I would only want to see swept up and thrown in a dustbin.’ Malcolm said. ‘I gave you a chance to walk away from this unscathed. You chose to pursue a woman who you callously dropped from your life because she couldn’t give you the child you wanted. Whatever has happened to you since has been a direct result of your actions.’

‘I was wrong.’ Wagner hit the steering wheel with his clenched fist. ‘I love her. I always loved her. She’s mine!’

‘Too late, fucktard. Too fucking late. Go to fucking York. Find a woman to be happy with there and move on.’ Malcolm told him harshly. He heard a door open and glanced up to see Cass standing at the door to their house. ‘Cass is mine and will be mine forever. And if you think that you’ll be able to do anything to her once I’m dead don’t be too sure as I’m going to make sure that our son is very well aware of you and your fucking history of breaking her heart and he will be there for her just as surely as I am right now.’

‘A son?’ Wagner went pale at the knowledge. ‘Her son?’

‘Our son. And she’s expecting again. So fuck the fuck off to York.’ Malcolm glowered at him. ‘Go away, Mr. Morris. Never come back here again.‘ Malcolm left him with a final glare and returned to his home, an arm around Cass as he followed her inside. Locking the door, he looked out and saw the car had driven off.

‘What’s going on, Malcolm? This is frightening me and Mattie’s upset as well. He’s gotten used to you not swearing around the house and now to have you act like this is confusing him.’

‘Told you, it’s just some stupid idiot involved with the office. We’ve got security working on it.’ Malcolm deflected her question. ‘It’s nothing you have to worry about, Cass. Relax! D’you see me worrying?’

‘I see you watching out the window all the time and now talking to strangers in cars across the street. That’s not worrying to you?’

‘Look, it’s work related. I can’t say a lot.’

‘Nothing about your work has ever stopped you telling me about it. You’ve told me some of the most confidential things that you shouldn’t have because you and I trust one another to understand the need to be the other’s sounding board. Imagine some of the grief I’d get at work if they knew I spoke to you about cases as well?’

‘Cass, leave off on this one, alright?’ Malcolm was tired and distracted from the evening’s events. His mind was whirring like a motor at high gear as to what he would do the next morning. ‘I can handle it and it’ll be done soon.’

‘I don’t like this Malcolm. This isn’t you and this isn’t how we treat one another.’ Cass was getting frustrated. She knew he was holding back on her and she didn’t like that one bit. ‘Talk to me.’

‘No!’ Malcolm snapped at her. ‘I asked you already to let it go. I’m handling it, I said.’

Neither of them noticed their son having come down the stairs to sit and watch them. 

‘No, you’re not handling it! You should be talking to me about it. We do things together! As a couple. As we’ve always done.’ Cass found herself raising her voice at Malcolm. 

‘I am handling it, Cass.’ Malcolm didn’t raise his voice but the tone of his voice got harder. ‘This is one time that I do NOT want you involved. It doesn’t concern you.’

‘There’s a stranger that’s been parked outside our house on at least three occasions now! So, yes! This does bloody well concern me! Not to mention our son!’ 

‘I said, I am HANDLING IT!’ Malcolm was frustrated and his temper was short. 

‘Mama? Papa? What’s wrong?’ Mattie was frightened at the sight of his parents arguing. They never raised their voices. Not even when he’d been bad. 

Their son’s voice stopped both of them. Malcolm just looked at his son, then his wife. Cass acted first, ‘Mattie, sorry. Why don’t we go upstairs and get you tucked into bed. Papa’s going to stay down here and settle down.’ 

Malcolm, with a frustrated grunt, stalked from the hallway and out into the back garden to get away for a bit. The football became the target for his frustration of the moment and he kicked it against the garden fence to wear off his pent up energy. Grampa, his room being at the back of the house, heard the noise and opened his bedroom window to call out to Malcolm.

‘Something wrong?’

‘No, just a bit of a disagreement’ Malcolm said, stopping his bashing of the football against the fence. He picked it up and put it away in it’s storage spot.   
‘With Cass?’ Grampa asked pointedly.

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’

‘Something happening at work. I’m not at liberty to talk about it.’ Malcolm said. He was determined to leave Wagner’s name off the radar. She’d gotten over him years ago and hadn’t had to think about him since and he wanted it left the way. 

‘Must be a big deal.’ Grampa commented. 

‘It is. Not something to worry the family over.’ 

‘It’s bothering you.’ 

‘Of course it is!’ Malcolm snapped at the older man before he rubbed at his eyes. ‘Sorry. Sorry! Didn’t mean to snap at you.’

‘All I can say, Malcolm, is tell you not to go to bed with Cass angry. The bed is only ever meant to be for loving.’

‘Good advice.’ Malcolm agreed. ‘Thanks, Papa.’ Grampa nodded and disappeared back to his bedroom, closing his window. Heading inside, Malcolm went upstairs and found Mattie asleep in his room and their bedroom door closed to him. Grimacing, he used the washroom then found a spare sheet in the linen closet and returned to the sitting room. He stripped to just boxers and lay down on the sofa, the single sheet over him. One more day and it should all be over and he can move on. They can all move on.


	24. Chapter 24

Malcolm was on tenterhooks the next day. He’d called off the private eye and he'd held off publishing and he’d managed to piss his wife off. Frank had updated him on the reaction quote from the law firm that was really just saying that they don't comment on the private affairs of their employees. As the day crept on towards 5 pm, Malcolm couldn’t take the waiting any longer. He just wanted to be home. After a quick call to Jamie to ask if he’d be willing to cover the rest of the evening, he forwarded his work line to him and was off home. 

Cass had got home early herself, but for entirely different reasons. Julie was tied up on a case and had to get Dylan home for a doctor’s appointment and Harry’s mother would be waiting to take him there. So, she and Mattie were home by 4:30 and he was still in his school clothes and out the back with Grampa while she started working on dinner for them. She expected Malcolm to be late so she decided on a salad and some quick fry chicken that would be easy to warm up for him when he did make it home. 

Dinner on, Cass was able to join them in the back garden for some rare quiet time with her Papa. Mattie had spread out a large playmat from the play room on the grass and had a number of large trucks out on it in a convoy. ‘Papa, I am so glad you’re here with us.’ 

‘I am too, Cassie.’ He placed his hand on hers, patting it. ‘I regret missing so much of Mattie’s growing up but you did very well, you and Malcolm. I’m proud of both of you.’

‘You’ll be here for my next,’ Cass reminded him, her hand resting on her stomach. ‘I hope Mattie doesn’t get jealous when he loses your lap to the baby.’

‘Ah, you’ve guessed my plan then!’ Papa said. 

‘As if you’d be able to resist having the baby on your lap as often as possible!’ Cass teased her Papa. ‘Although Malcolm may have to fight you over the baby. He’s adorable with a baby in his arms. For such a terrier at work he’s the most gentle of souls with his son.’ A knock at the front door interrupted them and Cass got up to answer it. 

Opening the door, she at first didn’t recognize the man before her but then it came to her. ‘Wagner?’ He had aged so much, she thought. And had put on weight. He’d only been 8 years older than her but he looked even older than Malcolm. 

‘Cass. My love.’ Wagner smiled and awkwardly held out a small bouquet of roses.

‘That’s over. Years ago.’ She said, disturbed by the way he was acting. 

‘I made a mistake, Cass. I want to make it right with you and reconcile.’ He insisted and offered up the roses to her again, beseeching her to take them. Cass refused. 

‘Yes, you did make a mistake, Wagner. I moved on. Thought you had to.’

‘You’ve not heard then?’ Wagner blinked a few times and smiled weakly. ‘DiDi and I parted company.’

‘She gave you a child. What was your excuse this time? Did she put on weight? Get a grey hair?’ Cass surprised herself at how bitter she sounded. 

‘The child wasn’t mine. It was another man’s.’ Wagner admitted, his hand gripping the flowers tightened and crumpled them. ‘Please, Cass. All those years ago, it was never because I didn’t love you. I just wanted children. I should have listened to you, looked into adoption.’

‘Wagner, it’s over. Has been for 6 years now. I’ve remarried since. I’d rather like it if you’d leave now.’

‘Mama! Who at the door?’ Mattie was at her side, an arm around her leg. ‘Hiya!’ He looked at the man at the door. ‘I’m Mattie!’

‘Mattie, not now. Go back inside.’ Cass tried to shoo her son back inside but Wagner was dropping to Mattie’s level.

‘Hey buddy. I’m Wagner. I was your Mama’s husband.’

Mattie shied away from Wagner, scowling at him. ‘You’re not Papa! Go’way!’

‘Wagner! Back off!’ Cass got riled by him. ‘You are NOT welcome here Wagner! I’m going to ask you to leave now.’

Wagner stood up, the way the kid was looking at him reminded him of that bastard Malcolm. ‘Cass, stop this nonsense. We’ll work it out together and we’ll be even happier together. I’ve got a new job lined up in York.’ He made a move to take her by the arm but she jerked back away from him, knocking into her son. 

‘Fuck off!” Mattie got mad at the man who was bothering his mother. ‘Go’way!’ He made to shove at the rude man but Wagner just pushed him back, sending Mattie stumbling back to fall on his backside. 

‘Look, Cass, we’ll do this right this time round.’ Wagner went on, his delusion that Cass would willingly take him back not shaken, his hand gripped her upper arm, the bouquet of roses were forgotten on the ground in their struggle. 

Malcolm, his foot nervously tapping as the driver pulled into his street, caught sight of Wagner’s car parked in front of his house. ‘Faster! Fucking hell! Faster!’ He barked at the driver as he leaned forward. As they closed in on his house, he saw Wagner at this front door and just saw him pushing his son out of the way, making him fall backwards. ‘Call the fucking cops!’ Malcolm screamed at the driver as he slowed to a stop in front of his house. Before the car came to a complete stop, Malcolm was out of the car and sprinting up the steps. Mattie was bawling and Cass was screaming at Wagner to let her arm go. 

Wagner was starting to lose his temper, frustrated that Cass wasn’t listening to him and annoyed by the squawling Mattie who was giving full vent to his fear now. Grampa was coming to the front door slowly and was really only able to help with Mattie. ‘Stop this Cass! Leave this brat for that loser and come along.’

‘Leave my family alone you cocksucking piece of shite!’ Malcolm was behind Wagner, grabbing his collar and yanking him backward. ‘That’s my son you’re shoving about you prick!’ He spotted Wagner’s grip on his wife. ‘CASS!’ He screamed and was landing a blow on Wagner’s jaw. ‘Unhand my wife!’

‘Malcolm! Careful!’ Cass was torn between going to her crying son or her husband. 

However, Malcolm’s punch had been fueled by the strongest of emotions, that of a father protecting his son, and Wagner’s jaw had been dislocated leaving the man in agony. The driver of the car, had been calling the police and giving them a running commentary of what he had witnessed even as he came up the front path to help Malcolm. If anything, the driver’s presence spared Wagner any more of Malcolm’s fury. Cass, glad of Malcolm’s presence and the driver’s assistance, turned to her son and gathered him into her arms to comfort him.

The cops pulled up moments later and were taking Wagner into custody. Malcolm was also escorted by one of the officers to one side to be spoken to in detail. Another car pulled up and a female officer was there as well, disappearing into the home to talk to Cass away from the two men. 

After some hours of statements and a brief investigation by the officers, Cass made it quite clear that she was declining to press any charges against Wagner but requesting that he be escorted away from the property. If he were to appear again, she made it clear to the officer, she would be pursuing a restraining order. With that, Wagner was escorted away and the police followed him in his car until he was away from the area and on the motorway heading towards York. 

Malcolm was formally cautioned for his physical assault on Wagner and advised that should anything similar ever happen in future he would be better off pursuing legal action immediately. Malcolm just smiled and nodded. The last glare he shot at Wagner as he left in his car made it very clear to the shaken man that he would be best to leave and never return or make himself known to the Tuckers ever again. The driver, statement taken, was reassured by Malcolm that all would be fine and left for the evening. 

By the time Malcolm was left alone by the police, Grampa had already helped settle Mattie down and tucked into bed while Cass did her best to calm herself down. Heading up the stairs, dinner entirely forgotten, Malcolm thanked Papa for his help and then assisted him in getting down the stairs and into his own bed. Now, almost totally exhausted himself, he made it back up the stairs and sat on the edge of Mattie’s bed. The boy hadn’t managed to sleep yet and was quick to put his arms around his father, holding tight to him. ‘Mattie.’ Malcolm held his son close. ‘You brave, brave boy.’

‘He hurt Mama!’ Mattie sniffled. ‘Wanted to hurt me too!’

‘He did hurt you, son. I’m sorry I wasn’t home sooner to stop him.’

‘Told him to fuck off!’ Mattie said, sounding like Malcolm in that moment.

‘Mattie, there are times when saying that bad word will happen. Today was one of those times. So, no telling you off.’ Malcolm used his shirt to wipe his son’s tears off his cheeks and then his running nose. ‘You still can’t say the bad words normally, okay?’

‘Yes, Papa. Understand!’ Mattie fell to hugging his father again. ‘Mama was crying too.’

‘It’s okay now, Mattie. I’m going to go take care of her now. You going to be a big boy and sleep now?’

‘Yes, Papa. I’m a big boy. Protect Mama. I’ll be the best son ever!’ 

‘I know you will be, Mattie!’ Malcolm smiled at his son and kissed him, tucking him into bed. Then, he went to their bedroom and found his wife sitting on the bed. For the first time ever in front of him, she was hugging the stuffed owl she had grown up with. ‘Cass?’

‘Oh, Malcolm!’ Cass let go of the owl and held a hand out to Malcolm. He took hold of her hand and joined her on the bed wrapping his arms around her. ‘He frightened me so much! And he was so vile towards Mattie! As soon as he realized that Mattie was truly your son he just pushed him away.’

‘I know, love. I know. It’s over now.’ He tried to reassure his wife. ‘He never actually hurt you, right?’

‘Just a bruise on my arm. I’ll live. He only pushed Mattie.’ Cass wiped away her tears. ‘It was him wasn’t it?’

‘Yeah, him. He’s been stalking you for a few weeks now. I thought I had it under control. I’m sorry, Cass. I didn’t want you to worry or stress because of this. I was scaring him off and he was on the verge of leaving London permanently when he showed up. I should have kept the watch on him a little longer to make sure.’

‘You knew he was doing this?’ Cass asked.

‘Yeah, he was sniffing at you as soon as he got dumped by his wife.’ Malcolm was rubbing his wife’s arm, comforting her. Cass laid her head on his shoulder. ‘The kid she had turned out not to be his after all. The bastard shoots only blanks.’

‘Except that once.’ Cass reminded her husband of the miscarriage that had landed her in hospital where they had met again. 

‘Well, we know how that turned out.’ Malcolm said uncharitably. ‘I wanted to keep you and Mattie safe, Cass. I wanted him gone far away. He beat her up, she had a restraining order against him. I was afraid he’d try the same to you. I was too late to prevent it.’

‘You did, Malcolm. You were there exactly when we needed you.’ Cass reassured him. ‘Let’s get some sleep. You must be exhausted, your eyes look like you’ve been awake a week.’

‘Sleep sounds fucking good right now.’ Malcolm agreed.


	25. Chapter 25

Sleep came to Malcolm quickly but once he had his usual 6 hours he was up again. Only that day it was an early 4 am. He woke up and used the toilet before crawling back into bed at Cass' side. Like him though, she was awake too. Knowing that they could talk without fear of Mattie running in on them, Cass ran her hand over Malcolm’s chest. 

'Malcolm I'm glad you were there for us last night. I just wish you would have talked to me instead of hiding it from me.'

'You understand why though right?'

'I do. It was with the best intentions. That's why I'm not still angry about it.’ Cass told him.

‘I’m glad you’re not.’ Malcolm smiled at his wife and kissed her forehead. Cass moved her head and returned his kiss with one on his lips. ‘Promise I won’t do that again, love.’

‘I should hope not.’ Cass said, kissing him again. ‘Then again, I don’t have any other ghosts from my past to worry about. You?’

‘I do have an ex but we parted amicably. Ages ago. No other extended family to be ashamed of or concerned by.’ His hand rubbed her shoulder, holding her close. When her hand drifted from his chest to his stomach he smiled happily. ‘I could say something…’

‘Don’t even think about it!” Cass gave him a soft smack, guessing he would make some comment at how much more in shape he was than the vile Wagner. ‘Instead, why don’t you do something.’ Cass expected him to snatch a kiss but instead she had to stop a surprised squeal of delight as he was turning her onto her back and getting on top. ‘Malcolm!’

‘Cass!’ He leaned down and kissed her on the lips. ‘You wanted me to do something.’

‘Not quite this!’ She lowered her voice, gazing up at her man. ‘We have to be up in a few hours.’

‘Mattie’s fast asleep, the rest of the world is quiet.’ He was kissing her again, this time with more passion. ‘Show you just how much I love you. Why you’re worth protecting.’ His lips explored her neck lightly before moving down further. Through her light nightshirt, he nibbled on her breasts. Cass, definitely no longer either upset or mad at her husband, ran her hands over his short hair and then over his back. While her hands began to tease the waistband of his pyjama’s he was tugging her night shirt up. By the time he had it up to her waist, Cass had worked his pyjama’s down over his hips. Her gentle touch had fired him up completely and he was soon making love to her. Between the time of the morning and the emotions from the night before the two were more energetic and passionate then they would have been normally, to avoid disturbing their son. Their passion this time found Cass moaning aloud, crying out with each of his thrusts and Malcolm grunting hard. 

Mattie, sitting up half asleep in his bed, rubbed at his eyes. He was still rattled from the events the evening before and the dark of the early morning confused him. ‘Mama? Papa?’ He called out with no response. He couldn’t hear the usual walking about of his parent’s as they would get up and get ready for the day. As he sat in his bed, he listened for his parents to call him down for breakfast but then he just heard some cries from his parents’ room. He bit his lip, worried. Then there was another loud cry that he knew was his mother. He was afraid, like he was when that rude man had pushed him away from his mother. 

‘I’m a big boy. I can help Mama.’ Clutching his stuffed bear, Mattie scooted out of his bed and hopped down to the floor. With both hands, he opened his bedroom door and then padded down the short hallway to his parents room. He could hear his mother crying his Papa’s name. To open his parents’ door he had to set his bear down on the floor beside the door with a good hard tug, he got the door open and stepped into the dim room. There was still some moonlight coming through their window and he could see his father on top of his mother and her cries were clear now. He could hear his father clearly too. ‘Papa! You hurting Mama!’ Mattie, concerned was scrambling up on to the bed to tug on his father’s arm. 

Cass gasped at the sight of her son, jumping onto the bed. Malcolm, slower to react, had continued a few more thrusts before he stopped. He grabbed the blanket and was covering her semi-naked body. 

‘Mattie! What’re you doing here?’ Malcolm was trying to cover himself. 

‘You’re hurting Mama!’ Mattie told him again. ‘Why you hurting Mama? She’s crying!’

‘Oh Mattie! No no, Papa’s not hurting me!’ Cass tried to reassure her son but she was too flustered from being so close to an orgasm and the quick end to it. 

‘You were crying!’ Mattie said, confused. ‘Why was Papa hurting you?’ Mattie was hugging his mother, oblivious as to what he had interrupted. 

Malcolm, having taken the opportunity while his son was hugging his mother to drag his pyjama bottoms up, preserving his dignity. ‘Mattie, why’d you wake up?’

‘Couldn’t sleep. Why you hurting Mama?’

‘Oh, son, no. I wasn’t hurting your Mama. I’d never hurt her. You know that, don’t you?’

‘You love Mama, Like you love me! So I don’t understand!’

Cass, clutching the sheet around her, stroked her son’s head to reassure him. Malcolm sat on the bed beside his son, a hand on his shoulder to squeeze it comfortingly. ‘Son, I would die before I would ever hurt your Mama.’

‘Why you hurt her then?’ 

‘I wasn’t hurting her. See, Mattie, that was one way that I show your Mama how much I love her.’ 

‘But she was crying.’ 

‘C’mere, son.’ Malcolm patted his lap and his son moved over to his father, settling into his arms so that Cass could manage to straighten her own nightshirt finally. ‘You know how I show you I love you?’

‘Yeah, you hug me.’

‘I do more than that don’t I?’ Malcolm prompted his son.

‘You kiss me.’ Mattie said. 

‘You know how else I show you I love you?’ Malcolm ruffled his son’s short hair. ‘When I pick you up and give you piggy-back rides. I play football with you. Every time we do something together, that fun is me showing you how much I love you.’

‘Oh.’ Mattie’s eyes widened. ‘But you don’t play football with Mama.’

‘No, so I can’t show her I love her by playing football. What I can do is I can show your Mama I love her by doing special things with her only. Tonight I was doing a very very special thing with your Mama to show her how very very much I love her.’

‘What were you doing?’

‘Adults call what we were doing together making love. It’s when a Mama and a Papa kiss and hug one another so much that they just can’t stop touching each other all over.’ Malcolm caught Cass’ amused look as he tried to explain sex to his son for the first time.

‘Just for Mama and you?’

‘Yes, because it’s very special and close.’ Malcolm told his son. ‘You see, Mama and I we don’t need to show you we love you this way because you’re our son. See, when your Mama and I loved each other this much it’s how we got you. When we made love we grew you from that love.’

‘You grew me from love?’

‘We did, Mattie. You are all the love that your Mama and I have for one another in one little boy.’

Mattie was grinning but then his little face screwed up in concentration. ‘Why Mama sound like she hurt?’

Malcolm coughed lightly. ‘Well, Mattie, sometimes when you love something so much it can hurt but it’s a really good hurt. Like.. like when you really want an ice cream and you eat it and it hurts at first?’

‘Like at the park? Hurt in my teeth.’ He pressed his forehead with his small hand. ‘But it was yummy!’

‘Right, it’s that kind of hurt that your Mama felt. A happy hurt.’

Mattie was screwing his face up again and then he was beaming and moved to his mother, putting his hands on her tummy. ‘You made me a sister too!’

‘We did, Mattie.’ 

‘Growing out of love too!’ Mattie laid down by his mother to hug her. ‘Can I give her love too?’

‘You already are, Mattie. Every time you hug your Mama you’re hugging your sister. And hugging is showing love.’

‘So’s kissing!’ Mattie planted kisses on Cass’ tummy. 

‘Yes, Mattie. So is kissing.’ Cass hugged her son and then gestured to Malcolm to come over to her and the three of them were laying there, hugging.


	26. Chapter 26

The weekend following, Julie, Harry and Dylan were over for a Saturday afternoon get-together. While Mattie and Dylan got to pulling out the favourite toy of the moment - the big playmat with the roads painted on it - to get to some serious playing, Grampa was settled on his rocking chair. With the two boys likely to occupy themselves happily for the most part, he pulled out his current crossword puzzle collection and took his time over them. 

In the house, Harry and Malcolm took over the kitchen to get a dinner prepped. It wasn’t Sunday but they were going to do up a slow roast anyway for the two families to enjoy together. Deferring to Malcolm’s skills Harry just got to chopping up veggies. Cass and Julie were taking some well-earned quiet time together. They gabbed about their boys and husbands with Cass giving Julie the whole story of Wagner’s attempt to regain her hand. 

‘That frightens me just hearing about it!’ Julie said, after hugging her best friend. ‘At least he’s gone for good now.’

‘I know.’ Cass agreed. ‘The worst was seeing how he behaved towards Mattie. How anyone could hurt a sweet boy like Mattie. Makes me wonder how he would have been with his own children. Glad that I did miscarry his child.’

‘Oh, Cass, that’s just..’ Julie bit her lip at Cass’ suggestion.

‘I know, it sounds horrible but .. well.. I’m content with how things did turn out.’ 

‘You’ve got Mattie and your second is on it’s way.’ Julie smiled at the reference to Cass’ pregnancy. At that moment, Malcolm popped his head into the sitting room. 

‘Drinks in the garden, loves. Joining us?’

Both women were up and joining their husbands in the back garden. The men were enjoying some scotch while the women stuck to fruit juice. 

Julie and Harry exchanged a glance and then Julie sprung the news on the Tuckers. ‘Cass, Malcolm, Grampa, we want to tell you that Harry and I are pregnant as well. We’ll be having a baby too!’

‘Congratulations!’ Malcolm stood and was thumping Harry on the back. ‘Well done, mate!’

‘Oh Julie! That’s so wonderful! When did you find out?’

‘We got it confirmed three days ago. I’m about three weeks later than you. I never even noticed! Maybe should have done more to lose the baby fat Dylan left me with!’ Julie was grinning. 

The boys were still playing with the cars on their playmat so Cass called Mattie over. ‘Mattie, Dylan’s going to be a big brother too. Just like you!’

‘Dylan!’ Mattie looked at his friend. ‘You gonna be big brother! Like me!’

‘Yeah.’ Dylan was grinning. ‘Couldn’t tell you. Mama said not too.’

‘We’re gonna be bestest big brothers!’ Mattie was hugging his friend and then launched himself at Julie to give her a big hug too and then the boys were off to the playmat again. After some time, the two boys were up again and Mattie was pulling Dylan behind him towards his father.

‘Dylan’s wrong Papa! Tell him.’ Mattie tugged on his father’s trousers.

‘What d’you mean Dylan’s wrong?’ Malcolm asked his son.

‘Dylan says that his little sister was planted in his Mama’s tummy. But he’s wrong. I told him that his Mama and Papa had to make lots and lots of love to start his little sister. So he’s wrong!’

‘I wouldn’t call Dylan wrong, Mattie. He just thinks about how things work differently from you.’

‘But I saw you and Mama making more love to help my baby sister grow bigger! Dylan never saw his Mama and Papa doing that. So I’m right and he’s wrong!’

Harry couldn’t help laughing and Cass was turning red. Julie gestured to Mattie to come over to her. ‘Mattie, your Mama and Papa did the same thing as your Uncle Harry and I did to get pregnant. When your Mama and Papa tell you it’s making love, I call it planting a seed. It’s two ways of saying the same thing.’

Mattie rubbed his head, trying to understand his Aunt. ‘Why you need two ways of saying things? Hurts my head.’

His friend, Dylan, came over and took hold of Mattie’s hand, getting his friend’s attention. ‘What’s making love, Mattie?’

‘It’s when Mama and Papa make a baby!’ Mattie told his friend. ‘It sounded like Mama was getting hurt but she wasn’t.’

‘Mattie,’ Malcolm cut in before Mattie could describe anything else. ‘You should leave that for Dylan’s parents to explain.’

Mattie raised a hand to his father as if to tell him to hush. ‘Don’t worry, Papa. I got this! C’mon Dylan. I’ll tell you ‘bout making love.’

Left at a loss for words, Malcolm just watched his son leading his friend off back to the playmat to sit and have a talk. ‘This can’t be a good thing!’ He looked at the other adults. 

Grampa spoke up. ‘Leave him, Malcolm. You’re boy is a bright young lad. Sharp as a tack. Reminds me of Cass when she was young. He gets the meaning behind it even if his words aren’t what you’d use.’

On the playmat, Mattie sat cross-legged beside Dylan. ‘You’re Mama and Papa kiss lots too?’

‘Uh huh.’ Dylan nodded. ‘And hug. Mama smells nice when she hugs me.’

‘They kiss each other, not just you?’

‘Yeah. They do it sneaky.’

‘Sneaky?’ Mattie asked.

‘Yeah, when they think I’m not looking. But I can hear them.’

‘Like this?’ Mattie made his usual smooching noises. Dylan nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s them kissing. Kissing is part of making love.That’s what Papa says.’

Leaving the boys to their own carrying on, the adults all settled back to their drinking and talking. The mood was light and relaxed until they were interrupted once more by the boys. This time Dylan was coming up to his father. ‘Papa! Mattie says his Mama and Papa love each other more than you love Mama.’

Harry looked at his son, ‘Why would you ever think that Dylan? Of course your Mama and I love one another a lot.’

‘But I never hear you making love to Mama.’ Dylan told him. ‘Mattie says he hears his Mama and Papa making love. I don’t hear you!’

Grampa started laughing at the looks on the others faces. ‘Out of the mouths of babes! You four look like a sight!’ 

The two couples were red-faced at the boy’s comment. ‘Where’d you get that idea, Dylan?’ Malcolm asked.

‘Mattie, he hears you and Auntie Cass making love. I don’t hear my Papa and Mama at all.’ ‘Why don’t I hear you if you do love Mama a lot?’ the boy asked turning to his father.

 

Grampa, wiping away tears from his laughing, waved Dylan to come over to him. ‘Why don’t you four go inside and see how’s dinner coming along. I’ll talk to these two.’ 

‘Thanks, Grampa!’ Cass, glad for the escape, was catching Malcolm’s hand and pulling him inside. Harry and Julie did the same. 

‘Mattie, come and sit here with me.’ Grampa patted his lap and it was one of the rare moments that he had both of the boys on his lap. ‘Now, you two. Time for Grampa to have a talk with you.’

‘What’d I do wrong?’ Mattie asked, figuring he was in trouble again.

‘You didn’t do anything wrong, Mattie. You just have to be careful how you say things to others.’

‘Mattie just told me ‘bout his Mama and Papa. He tells me about his Mama and Papa all the time. Like I tell him.’ Dylan piped up.

‘Well, there are some things you shouldn’t share with others.’ Grampa said. 

‘But we’re bestest friends! We talk ‘bout everything!’ Mattie said.

‘Do you tell each other when you go to the washroom? Or have a bath?’ Grampa asked.

‘No.’ Dylan said and Mattie agreed. 

‘See, that’s what’s called a private thing. Something that you do all on your own with no one else to know about it. It’s like a secret.’

‘Like Mama and Papa telling me not to talk about the baby?’ Dylan asked.

‘Right, that’s a secret. But a secret is something that you want to keep to yourself until you decide to tell someone about it. Stuff that happens in private is for just you.’ Grampa, with his arms around both boys, wanted to make sure they were understanding him. ‘So, you see the difference between secret and private?’ Mattie nodded and Dylan did too after a few extra minutes. ‘Just like you want to have private things that only you want to know about, so do your parents.’

‘Like Mama wanting to have a bath with just her?’ Dylan asked.

‘That’s it exactly. It’s something just for her. So, when your Mama and Papa make love it’s something that’s just for them. It’s private and special. When they make love and they make a new baby, it’s very very precious. So, when they have those moments it’s just for them. Not for their big boys to tell to others.’

‘Oh.’ Mattie looked crestfallen.   
‘So if you do see or hear your Mama and Papa making love, you should really keep it a secret. It’s their secret not yours.’

‘So, I shouldn’t even tell Mattie?’ Dylan asked. ‘He’s my bestest friend. We talk about everything.’

‘It’s not your secret to tell, Dylan. So you shouldn’t even tell each other.’

‘No telling Mama’s and Papa’s secrets.’ Dylan said. ‘Right Mattie?’

‘We can share other secrets instead!’ Mattie said, grinning.

‘There’s plenty of other secrets you boys can share!’ Grampa said. ‘Okay?’

‘Okay!’ Mattie said and hugged Grampa round the neck, kissing him on the cheek. Dylan was next, hugging him and kissing his cheek. ‘Now, how about you two go in and see if that dinner is ready. Don’t know about you but I’m hungry!’


	27. Chapter 27

‘Up you get, sleepy head.’ Cass was waking Malcolm up. ‘You said you’d come to the appointment today with me.’

‘Uhng.’ Malcolm grunted. It was a rare day off for him and he was regretting his promise to go to the regular appointment with Cass. Then the bed shifted and she was sitting beside him, kissing him until he sat up. ‘I’m up, I’m up!’ Cass kept kissing him. ‘I’ll be even more up if you keep kissing me like that, love.’

Laughing, she got up from the bed. ‘Lazy boy.’ Cass was finishing getting ready for the appointment. 

‘Mattie?’ Malcolm asked as he pulled on his pyjama bottoms.

‘Already gone. I made sure he didn’t wake you up this morning.’

‘You are too kind, love.’ Malcolm was down the stairs to get himself a coffee and a quick bite to eat before getting ready himself. Looking at his wife and the growing bump of their baby made him smile. Not able to help himself, he was behind and hugging her, a large hand spread over her tummy. ‘You are the most beautiful woman in the world, Cass.’

‘And you, my most handsome man, who needs to go get dressed if we’re to be on time!’ Cass told him.

‘Yes, ma’am.’ He snuck in another kiss and was off upstairs again to dress. He had resisted the urge to go with her on a more regular basis but he’d not wanted to really know the sex of their unborn child yet. He loved having Mattie in his life. It was easy for him to handle the boy and he hoped their second child would be a boy as well. Pulling on his fleece jacket, he found himself nervous at the thought that it may be a girl. How on earth could he ever cope with a girl! Mattie had taken it in his head from the moment he’d learned he was to be a big brother that he was going to have a little sister. Malcolm laughed nervously to himself. What would the folks at the office say if they could see him being a nervous nellie about this. Shaking himself and hearing Cass calling to him to get a shift on he headed out with her to the doctor’s office.

Sitting in the dimmed room with the ultrasound, Malcolm held Cass’ hand as the ultrasound technician ran the scanner over her stomach and abdomen. ‘Looks like the little one is going to play nice this time. It’s been shy up till now. Must be wanting to show off for it’s daddy.’ Cass just beamed up at Malcolm. After a few more minutes, the result was in. ‘You sure you want to know?’ The ultrasound technician asked them. 

‘Yes, go on.’ Cass said after getting a nod from Malcolm. ‘Tell us.’

‘You’ll be the proud parents of a girl.’ 

‘A girl! Malcolm!’ Cass was delighted and Malcolm grinned. Holding his hand, Cass could sense his nervousness but let it go for the moment.

After getting a full clear bill of health for both herself and their unborn daughter, Cass and Malcolm returned home. As Malcolm made them up some coffee, Cass helped her Papa out to the back garden. Three cups in hand, Malcolm joined them and the three of them settled back. Malcolm was unusually subdued and Cass picked up on that. 

‘What’s going on in that head of yours, Malcolm.’

‘A little girl.’ He said. ‘Not sure if I’ll be able to handle her as well as I have Mattie.’

‘I’m sure you’ll be just as good with your daughter as you have been with your son.’ Cass reassured him.

‘Well, of course I’m good with Mattie. He’s a boy. I know about boys! I’m one too. Running about, trucks, the lot. I don’t know anything about little girls.’

‘Of course you do!’ Cass reminded him. ‘You looked after Mary every single Sunday for years! And she still adores you. I remember the dollhouse. And you say you don’t know a thing about girls.’

‘Most of that dollhouse was me doing things that Mary asked me to do. It’s not like I came up with it all myself.’ Malcolm ran his finger around the lip of his cup, nervous at the prospects of a little girl. 

‘You daft old man,’ Cass told him off and teasing him. ‘I remember you sitting quite comfortably in the dollhouse having a tea party with Mary and her dolls. Surrounded by stuffed bears and little princesses.’

Malcolm blushed. ‘I was just spending time with Mary. Not like I had to change her diapers or that.’

‘Diapers are the same for boys and girls. They both get dirty and their bottoms still have to be cleaned.’ Papa added. ‘When she’s that old for it to make a big difference, Cass will be there to look after the girly things.’

‘But…’

‘Oh stop it!’ Cass took his hand and stopped him carrying on.’You will be as awesome a dad for your daughter as you have been for Mattie. Only this time, you’re going to have Mattie to help you. And you know he’s been wanting a little sister all along.’

‘You’d think he’d have wanted a little brother.’ Malcolm grumbled. 

‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ Papa said. ‘You’ve seen Mattie round Dylan? He practically mother’s him. Just like you do with Mattie. He’s got it from you.’

‘Me?’ Malcolm looked surprised. ‘He’d have got that from Cass not me.’

‘No, Malcolm. He got that all from you.’ Papa said. ‘You just don’t see it in yourself.’

‘We’ll see. Just hope you’re there to bail me out Cass.’

‘Don’t you worry, Malcolm. I’ll always be there for you.’ Cass kissed Malcolm. ‘Now, I’m off to work. You get dinner duty tonight.’


	28. Chapter 28

The following weekend, Malcolm had decided to spend it redoing the small room they had picked for their new baby. Now that they knew it was to be a girl, Cass had declared that they would do the room in a princess theme. Malcolm had wanted to stick to a teddy bear and pink theme but once Mattie had decided that his little sister would be a princess, Malcolm gave up. He knew when he was beat between Cass’ loving but commanding gaze and Mattie’s jumping around repeating Little Princess. 

So, Saturday morning found him at a local DIY shop getting some pale pink paint, some princess themed wall decorations and Cass had found a princess mobile to attach to the crib. Malcolm had gloated slightly at Cass when he had insisted years ago to just put Mattie’s crib in storage rather than selling it on. It was a flat white so it didn’t need any updating. But the now hardly used office was once again becoming a nursery. The only problem afterwards would be how little space there would be for their girl when she grew up. This wasn’t exactly the biggest room and the only other spare was Grampa’s. Well, he thought. They had years yet to get to that point. He’d probably have to dedicate the playhouse to his daughter now as well and hope that Mattie didn’t get upset. 

By the time he got home in the cab with everything, he was being turned right around again to go out with Cass and Mattie to get all the other errands done, it was too late to really get into any redecorating and that put him behind. So, Sunday morning he made it clear to Cass that he was going to be busy on the baby’s room. 

Cass laughed as he pulled on his rough jeans and the pain-spattered t-shirt that he always used for these types of jobs. ‘What? It’s not like I have to be in a suit and tie for this!’ Malcolm protested. 

‘This was from when you did our bedroom.’ Cass was poking at the spots of beige paint on the shoulders. ‘And these when you were doing Mattie’s room.’ The large splotch of blue on his side reminded Malcolm of when he had almost dropped his paintbrush on the floor and had caught it against his body. ‘And then when you were trying to install that wall mount for the TV in Papa’s room.’ This was a small tear on the sleeve where it had caught on the edge of the metal frame and ripped. 

‘Cut that out,’ Malcolm muttered.

‘Oh? Why’s that?’ Cass teased him as her fingers kept roaming over his t-shirt.

‘You know damn well why, woman!’ Malcolm growled. 

‘Oh, because it turns you on, right?’ Cass smiled seductively at him. ‘I suppose I should behave then.’

‘Yes, yes you should. If I’m going to have this nursery done!’ Malcolm told his wife. ‘Now, you get that cute ass of yours to Julie’s place and leave us boys to get the real work done.'

'I'm not going to argue with getting out of work!' Cass laughed and with a parting kiss on Malcolm’s cheek she was leaving the house.

Mattie and Grampa were quite happy to help Malcolm with clearing out the last of the old office items into some storage boxes for the time being. He would worry about where he would locate his office space once he'd resigned. For now they would just pack it away and he already had some removals men to come in on Monday and take it to their storage locker. 

As the two packed boxes, Malcolm was dismantling the desk and the filing cabinet. ‘Mattie, can you get me that small bag please?’

‘Sure, Papa!’ Mattie picked up the small bag and brought it to Malcolm. 

‘Hold it near so i can put these small bolts in it, okay?’ Mattie nodded and stood close to Malcolm as the small parts were dropped into it. 

‘Malcolm, I have to rest for a while.’ Grampa said after some time. ‘Sorry.’

‘No need to be sorry! You’ve been a huge help! Both of you!’ Malcolm was dropping the last bolt into the bag and took it from Mattie. ‘Practicing to be the best big brother and an awesome Grampa!’

‘Now, Malcolm. You’ll give me a big head!’ Grampa said as he sat slowly on a nearby stool. ‘Mattie, could you be a good boy and grab me a glass of water?’

‘Mattie, better yet, how about you come downstairs and I’ll get us all some juice. Be better than water for us. Want a bit to eat too, Grampa?’

‘Oh, that sounds wonderful.’

‘Right. Some lunch and juice. Mattie, let’s go.’ Malcolm watched with a grin as his son took off down the stairs well ahead of him. Cass had prepared sandwiches for them before she’d gone out for the day. The boys sat in the almost empty room and ate. After eating, Mattie was good about taking the empty tumblers back down to the kitchen and Malcolm began to open the paint cans. 

‘Now there’s a shade of pink for a princess.’ Grampa smiled. 

‘That it is. Cass’ choice. I’m sure the little one will love it.’ Malcolm smiled. He couldn’t wait to see how it looked finished. It took most of the rest of the day for him to paint the room. Grampa’s help was dedicated to keeping Mattie busy when he wasn’t helping with small tasks for Malcolm. Malcolm had initially thought that Mattie would be okay to paint some of the larger open sections of the walls but that ended quickly when Mattie decided his hands were much more useful than a brush. When he had done a small part as Malcolm was on his knees working on the bottom edge, Mattie had come over to his father and, with pink paint smeared on his hands, had tugged on Malcolm’s sleeve to get his attention. 

‘Papa! Look! I did all that!’ Mattie pointed to the block of wall that was now in pink finger streaks to match the ones on his sleeve.

‘Mattie, why’d you not use the brush I gave you?’ Malcolm asked, inwardly groaning at the realization that his help was more a cheering section.

‘Too heavy. I draw instead! Little sister like that more!’ Mattie was off again before Malcolm could stop him to get his fingers covered in paint again to draw a family of five on the wall. Malcolm raised an eyebrow and Grampa just chuckled from his stool. ‘See. That’s you, Papa!’ Mattie pointed to the one figure that he always drew as his father, with owlish eyes and large hands. ‘Going to draw Mama next.’

‘You do that, Mattie. Little sister will love it.’ Malcolm gave up. It was a small area and he could always leave a box of the old beige wall around it. A permanent gift from Mattie to his little sister, Malcolm decided. 

By the time Cass got back from Julie’s place, the painting was almost done except for a small section behind the door. Malcolm had offset Mattie’s drawing with a box and when Cass saw it she just smiled and held Malcolm’s hand tight. When Mattie had asked if he could use some other colours on it, Malcolm had said yes and Mattie had spent quite a lot of time on the picture. ‘Wasn’t expecting that.’ She said. ‘That’s very lovely, Mattie.’

‘Glad you like it, Mama! Did it for little sister! With Grampa too. See!’ He pointed out the older man in the picture with the big smile. ‘That’s you!’ He pointed to the woman with the big heart on her skirt. ‘And that’s Papa!’ The man with the large hands. ‘And this is my little sister!’ Mattie had drawn his little sister as a small bundle with a little smile on her face. ‘You said she will be small. So drew her small.’

‘You did a very good job. Your little sister will love it.’ Cass rested a hand on her still growing stomach. ‘And I see Papa got himself a new pink splotch on his t-shirt.’ She tugged on the sleeve. 

‘Picasso there had to get my attention somehow.’ Malcolm grinned. ‘Now, I don’t know about you lot, but I’m not cooking tonight. Who’s up for pizza as a treat?’

‘Pizza!’ Mattie jumped up and down. ‘Pizza!’

That evening, with Grampa off to his room to watch TV till he fell asleep and Mattie tucked in and asleep from exhaustion, Malcolm sat with Cass in the sitting room. ‘Love, I’m going to take tomorrow off and just finish the room up. We’re going to be too crazy after that at the office with the upcoming party conference for me to spend time doing it properly.’  
‘We could just get someone in to do the rest. We’ve got the removals men coming to move the boxes out.’ 

‘I’d rather do it.’ Malcolm said. ‘And that way, we don’t have to burden Grampa with dealing with the strangers. I’ll have Mattie stay home too. He can help in his own way.’ 

‘I think you just like having a boys’ day with him.’

‘Well, he is my son.’ Malcolm grinned at his wife. 

‘Go on then, have your boys’ day and I’ll go to work and leave you to get on with it.’

The next day, with Cass off to work, Malcolm got down to the job of assembling the cot and the small change table with drawers that had last been used when Mattie was a baby. As he put them together, Mattie held the small parts and Malcolm was telling him stories of what a naughty baby he’d been.

‘Was not!’ Mattie protested.

‘You were. You spat up on one of my good jackets one day.’ Malcolm teased his son. ‘I never could get it cleaned up properly.’

‘I didn’t mean to!’ Mattie looked crestfallen, taking his father very seriously. ‘I get you new one for birthday!’

‘Ah, don’t worry, Mattie.’ Malcolm told his son, easing off his teasing. ‘It was years ago. You’ve more than been a great boy since.’ 

‘You’re the bestest Papa ever!’ Mattie almost let go of the small bag of parts as he hugged his father hard. 

‘My bestest son, you are Mattie!’ Malcolm hugged him back and then he was toppling back onto his butt as Mattie threw himself at his father. ‘Hey you!’ Malcolm set to tickling his son until he was giggling madly and trying to get Malcolm to stop. Mattie got back at his father by grabbing his ears and tugging on them. When his son started to plant wet kisses on his face, Malcolm sat up and just hugged his son for a few minutes and enjoyed the moment. Once there was a new baby around the house it would be harder to have these times with Mattie, Malcolm thought.

As the two of them caught their breath, Malcolm looked at his son. ‘I love you, Mattie. You know that right?’

‘I love you too, Papa!’ Mattie smiled adoringly at his father.

‘I’m going to always love you and when your little sister is here, I’m going to love her the same way. When I do, it doesn’t mean I love you less.’

‘More love for everyone!’ Mattie told his father. ‘You and Mama been growing more love! Growing little sister!’ 

‘That’s what it is, Mattie. More love for all.’ Malcolm ruffled his son’s curly hair. ‘Never forget that, okay?’ 

‘Never ever!’ Mattie promised. They hugged again and Malcolm, a bit of his worry put aside for the moment, got back on track. 

‘Let’s get this room finished for your sister.’ Malcolm told his son. ‘You going to pick where we put the princesses?’

‘Yeah!’ Mattie was up and running for the package of wall decals of princesses Malcolm had picked up. Malcolm went back to finishing up the drawers and left it to his son to work out where to put the decals. 

When Cass got home that evening, it was Mattie who led her upstairs to the finished room. With his small hands on the door handle, he opened it with a young boy’s proud flourish. ‘All done, Mama!’

The small room was done with pinks and white furniture, the walls were dotted with the princess decals. The section where Mattie had drawn his picture was in view from the cot. Malcolm had placed it where their daughter would be lying in her cot and able to see it. A few of the smaller decals had made it onto the change table and drawers. The cot was set up with the mobile hanging over it. A series of small princesses ready to move around above the little girl once she was born. 

‘You boys did such a good job!’ Cass was delighted with the results. ‘Your little sister is going to love it, Mattie!’ 

Mattie was beaming at his mother. ‘When we bring little sister home?’

‘Soon, Mattie. Soon.’ Cass told her son. ‘She’s still got a bit of growing left to do.’

Mattie placed his hands on his mother’s large stomach. ‘Grow big! Lots of love for you!’

Malcolm felt a few tears fall from his face and brushed them away as Cass caught him. Cass, a hand on her son’s head as he was hugging his mother, just smiled and blew her husband a kiss. Tonight was, he knew, going to be one of those emotional nights for them.


	29. Chapter 29

Jamie strode into Malcolm’s office on time for the meeting he’d scheduled for the two of them. The election had gone better for them than expected leaving the party in power which gave Malcolm a golden opportunity.

‘Right, Jamie. Close that door.’ Malcolm looked up as Jamie came in. ‘Plotting session.’

With the door firmly closed to keep out prying ears and eyes, Jamie sat down across from his old friend. ‘What’s on then, Malc?’

‘Minister Jones, she’s the next leader. You with me on this?’

‘She’s strong, has a brain, knows how to actually speak properly. Good with the public. Yeah, definitely on the same path as you. When do we want to pull the trigger.’

‘The next Party conference is in a month. I want her in as the leader at that conference. We both know that Davids is worn out and getting him to step down should be easy. I’m thinking the handover should be easy. You hear anything against Jones at all lately?’

‘Nothing other than mild complaints. The usual office gossipy crap. I don’t see it being a major jump from Davids to get Jones in as the leader. She’s strong enough to be able to carry the party for at least 2 terms.’ Malcolm had done all the projections and vetting planning for this. 

‘Still planning to pull the trigger once she’s the leader.’

‘Yes. The sooner the better. I want to be home for my daughter this time.’

‘You miss those Sunday’s with Mary don’t you?’ Jamie teased Malcolm. ‘What would those Ministers you’re always bollocking ever think of you if they ever saw you with your niece or son!’

‘And if they do find any of that out we know exactly who told them, won’t we!’ Malcolm shot a warning look at Jamie before laughing. ‘That and I’m getting too old for this all the time. The hours and stress aren’t good for me anymore.’

‘It was going to happen eventually, Malcolm. Nothing to be ashamed of if that’s what you’re worried about.’

‘Not fucking worried about it at all.’ Malcolm grinned. ‘I wonder if I’d been more happily married before if I’d quit this job a lot sooner.’

‘Hurry up and go, mate. I want that fucking desk!’ Jamie joked and Malcolm shot him a look. ‘Soon enough then. Right, what’s next then?’

‘We have to start pushing Jones on the Party drudges and I’ll be working on Davids to prep him for step down. This is going to be an amicable switchover, got that. I don’t want any bastards trying to stir up shit thinking they can leapfrog to the front of the line. You catch any whiff of farts from anyone trying that you ram a cork up their bungholes.’

‘Got it, boss.’ Jamie was getting to his feet. ‘One month then?’

‘That’s my goal. One month.’ Malcolm nodded and waited until Jamie was out of the office. ‘SAM!’

Entering his office, Sam was bringing in the latest batch of requests and he took them from her. ‘Sam, I’ve got an appointment right after lunch, if anyone asks where I am you just tell them I’m late back from lunch and you’ve no idea. You can pretend to call me but don’t call. Got that?’

‘Yes, Malcolm. That’s for the Guardian?’

‘Sam,’ Malcolm gave her his best warning look. ‘You do NOT know a thing.’

‘Of course not, Malcolm.’ Sam smiled at him and left him to his work.

Malcolm shook his head and worked through all the media requests he had on his desk to clear them up before his interview.

He’d asked for the interview to be at a location that they wouldn’t be noticed at. It would have been too obvious if he’d showed up at the Guardian offices on his own. So, over lunch he had a good chat with the political editor of the paper over the prospect of becoming a regular political columnist.

‘We’re really looking forward to you joining the team, Malcolm.’

‘As long as you write it in fucking stone that I work from home. I’m not signing up for another desk job or to be on call. I’ve worked so fucking hard to get to this point and I want an easy ride.’ Malcolm told him bluntly. ‘I’ve got a baby on the way and I’m going to be there for her.’

‘Congratulations are in order then. A little girl?’ Edward, the editor of the political department, was smiling. He had his own children and knew what was likely going through Malcolm’s head. ‘When is the child due?’

‘Two months.’ Malcolm said, the grin on his face showed how proud he was. 

‘When do you expect to start as a columnist?’ 

‘Three months.’ Malcolm now had a deadline.


	30. Chapter 30

‘Papa?’ Mattie was making his way down the stairs in his pyjamas, his stuffed bear in one hand while he held onto the rails. ‘Papa?’

Malcolm was in the sitting room watching one of the later evening interviews on TV. For a change, he didn’t have to panic or worry as it was Minister Jones talking about current policies and she was more than holding her own. At the sound of his son’s voice he got up, turning the volume off on the TV. ‘What’s wrong Mattie? You should be in bed.’

‘I miss Mama.’ Mattie rubbed at his eyes, leaving them red.

‘Mama’s fine, Mattie. She’s just with the doctors over night. Your little sister was kicking about too much.’ Malcolm struggled to explain to his son that Cass had just gone in for an overnight observation. She was only a month away now and the doctor was being cautious again. 

‘She hugs me before I go to sleep.’ Mattie stood in the doorway with a look of despair on his face. 

‘She hugs me too when I go to sleep, Mattie.’ Malcolm came to his son’s side and picked him up in his arms. ‘You want to sit up with me here then?’

Mattie nodded, his arms going around Malcolm’s neck. Returning to the sofa, Malcolm sat back down and helped his son settle onto his lap. He just left the TV on silent, watching it with only half his attention. Instead, he paid more attention to his son. Mattie was still unsettled. Malcolm admitted to himself that he was too. He had wanted to stay over in the hospital as well with Cass but she had told him to stay home with Mattie. It wasn’t fair of them to expect Angus or Julie to always be on hand to watch Mattie in a pinch. 

A small hand was grabbing tight to his shirt, rumpling it badly as his son snuggled close to his chest. ‘My little sister okay?’

‘She’s fine, Mattie. So’s your Mama.’ Malcolm told his son. He hoped he was right, but he didn’t fool his son one bit.

‘You not fine.’ Mattie told his father. 

‘It’s late, Mattie. We should get to bed.’ Malcolm tried again but Mattie wouldn’t settle.

‘I want my Mama!’ Mattie started to cry. ‘I want my little sister!’

Malcolm became a panicky parent again, trying to calm his son. ‘Hey hey, it’s okay, Mattie. Mama and your little sister are fine. They’ll be back home tomorrow.’ Mattie was burying his face against his father and hiccuping between sobs. ‘C’mon Mattie, it’s okay.’ Malcolm patted his son’s back, trying to help him calm down. ‘She’ll be home in the morning.’  
‘Want Mama now! Want her hugs!’ 

‘Papa is here, hugging you.’ 

‘Want Mama!’ Mattie said again. 

‘Mama’s not here, Mattie. C’mon. Let’s go to bed. I’ll hug you to sleep okay?’

‘Want Mama!’ His son was sniffling from his crying. Malcolm stood up with his son in his arms and managed to turn everything off before going upstairs. He took his son to the bed he shared with Cass. His son hiccupped a few more times. Thankfully, being in the bedroom where his mother slept started to calm Mattie down. Malcolm settled his son on Cass’s side of the bed and then got changed to get in beside his son. 

‘Better now, Mattie?’ Malcolm asked, hugging his son close.

‘Uhhuh.’ Mattie nodded as he grabbed his father’s hand and held it tight. Malcolm stayed awake until he felt his son finally fall asleep. He had to stop himself from chuckling when his son went to start sucking on his thumb but grabbed Malcolm’s instead. Malcolm didn’t try to stop him this time. In a way he wished he could do the same. He did miss Cass when they were apart.


	31. Chapter 31

Malcolm was packing his small luggage for the weekend away from his family. Before, Mattie had been small enough that he didn’t take notice of Papa being away for a few days. After his carrying on the other week with Cass in hospital overnight, he was worried. Cass had a lot to deal with the pregnancy. She was reading on the bed while he packed, calm as ever. Mattie had already been tucked in for the night.

‘You sure you’re going to be alright?’ Malcolm asked for the tenth time that day. 

‘You’ve been on these conferences before and I’ve been perfectly fine. Grampa is here to help with Mattie this time. Go to your conference and get that Minister you’re a fan of elected as the leader of the party.’ Cass was taking it all very well. 

‘You know to call me any time, right?’ Malcolm was hanging his tuxedo in a garment bag to bring along for their gala night on Saturday. ‘And Angus said he’d be available at any time if you need him here.’

‘Malcolm, finish your packing and come to bed.’ Cass ignored his worrying chatter. ‘I would really rather you spend the evening in bed with me than moaning and worrying about Mattie and me.’

‘You’ve got everything all set just in case…’ Malcolm didn’t want to say it.

‘If the baby is ready then I’m all ready. The doctor says I can go into labour any time now and if I do it’s all arranged for me to be taken to the hospital. And should I go into labour while you’re away Grampa will call you if I can’t. Now, please, finish your packing and get into bed. My feet are sore and you’re such a good masseuse.’

Malcolm, put in his place, laughed at her last comment and packed the last few items of clothes in his bag. Changing into his pyjama bottoms, Malcolm sat on the bed by her feet and began to rub them. ‘A bit swollen tonight. You shouldn’t be on your feet so much at work. Thought you’d told them that.’

‘Maaaaalcolm.’ Cass’ tone told him off. 

‘Sorry. Just worried.’ Malcolm went back to working on her sore feet. 

‘You are just all adither over the new baby. I’ll be glad when I’ve given birth. Then you’ll stop treating me like some fragile doll.’ Cass was teasing him but he just got anxious again. ‘Oh, Malcolm. You sweetheart. Come here.’ She gestured for him to lie beside her. The two settled down beside one another, Malcolm laying a hand on her extended stomach to feel their baby girl move and kick inside her. ‘And you’d better not treat our daughter like a fragile doll! That’s me warning you at the start, Tucker!’

‘Yes, Mama.’ Malcolm smiled at his wife. ‘I’ll not treat our daughter like a fragile doll. I’ll treat her as the most precious woman in the world.’

‘Hmph, what about me?’

‘You are the most loving and sexiest woman in the world.’ Malcolm told his wife, kissing her softly. ‘And the mother of the most precious children in the world.’

‘Good save.’ Cass smiled. ‘Now, why don’t you kiss me again. I need three days worth from you to tide me over til Monday.’


	32. Chapter 32

Sunday morning, Cass woke up late. She’d been incredibly sore the night before after getting Mattie his bath and tucked into bed. Now, as she stretched her sore body she could hear Mattie and her Papa downstairs. Mattie must have gotten up and then woken up his Grampa. She could imagine that Mattie’s breakfast would be the least healthiest option for the day but she really didn’t care at that moment. Her daughter kicked in her womb causing Cass to wince in some pain. ‘You’re going to be a very strong girl.’ Cass muttered as she laid a hand on her stomach. 

In the washroom, Cass felt the first contraction and had to hang on to the counter to stop herself collapsing to her knees. It passed soon and she was able to finish getting dressed. Another contraction hit her about 10 minutes later, leaving her gasping on the bed. One more day, she thought. Wait for Malcolm, she urged the baby. 

Cass gripped the stair rails as she made it down them and to the kitchen. Her Papa was there with Mattie. He was working on the Sunday crossword and Mattie was working on some colouring with Nutella smothered on toast at his side. ‘Oh Papa, you couldn’t have given him jam or peanut butter?’

‘I wanted Nutella.’ Papa said. ‘Couldn’t say no to Mattie too, could I?’

‘He’ll be hopping all morning, I can’t keep up with him in this condition.’

‘No worries, Cass. I’ll have him outside and he can burn it off there.’ Papa smiled and looked up at his granddaughter. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Sore this morning.’ Cass said.

‘More than sore I think. It’s been a very long time Cass, but I have seen a woman go through labour before.’ 

‘Had a few contractions. I’m fine now.’ Cass lied and grabbed a coffee. Before she could make it to her chair, another contraction ran through her womb and she dropped the cup. 

‘MAMA!’ Mattie cried out as his mother clutched the back of the chair to hold herself up and her other hand on her stomach. ‘What’s wrong?’

Grampa got to his feet and was doing his best to help Cass sit on the chair. ‘Mattie, your Mama is going to be fine. Your baby sister wants to be born now I think.’

‘Baby sister is coming?’ Mattie asked around the knuckle he’d jammed in his mouth. 

‘Yes, Mattie. Baby sister is coming.’ Grampa said. ‘You gotta be strong now. Cass, breathe.’ Cass nodded and tried to relax with her breathing. ‘Mattie, can you be a good boy and pick up that cup? Be careful with it, it may have cracked.’

Nodding, Mattie was collecting the cup carefully and managed to get it placed on the counter. Grabbing a cloth he made a go of wiping up the spilled coffee. 

‘How often are the contractions, Cass?’ Grampa asked. 

‘About 10 minutes apart. I think.’

‘Do you want me to call an ambulance?’ Grampa asked.

‘It may not be time, yet. The contractions should be closer together.’ Cass felt steadier now, ‘We’ll wait a bit longer.’

Meanwhile, at the party conference, Malcolm had so far managed to squash two other candidates attempts to build support for a leadership bid and the front runner was still Trudy Jones. During the gala evening, he’d gotten the pulse of most of the membership and felt quite sure that the final vote that morning would clinch it for Jones. She was the best and very impressive after a few years under his tutelage. He’d spoken to Cass the evening before and all was well and now, Sunday morning, he hadn’t heard from her yet but it was Sunday and he had expected her to sleep in if she could. Fixing his tie, Malcolm was interrupted by Jamie knocking on his hotel room door. 

‘Well, Malcolm. This is it.’ Jamie helped himself to one of the pastries that had been delivered to Malcolm’s room. ‘She wins and you?’

‘And I quit.’ Malcolm grinned. He slipped his security badge over his head and pulled on his jacket. ‘Just in time. The baby’s due any day now.’

‘A dad twice over. Who would ever have thought that of the nasty brute Tucker.’ Jamie laughed. ‘Daniels was trying again this morning at the breakfast bar. I nipped it in the bud.’

‘He’s going to be the biggest thorn in your side, Jamie. He’s got fucking delusions of grandeur and only the asshole to back it up. Keep an eye on him and don’t give him anything that he can royally fuck over.’ Malcolm popped a grape into his mouth and chewed it while he sorted through some folders. ‘I’m going to tell Jones right after she’s confirmed. She’s suspected it so it’s not going to be a bolt out of the blue.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ Jamie said. ‘Retire and enjoy your family time.’

‘You know you’ll always be able to talk to me, Jamie. If you need any help.’ Malcolm gripped Jamie’s shoulder and then, in an uncharacteristic moment, hugged his friend hard. ‘I’ll miss this, Jamie.’

‘I know, Malcolm. But you’re going out on a high.’ Jamie grinned. ‘You know they’ll throw you a fucking party.’

‘Probably, I may even attend it.’ Malcolm laughed. ‘Come on, we’ve got a vote to attend.’

As Malcolm was walking the corridor towards the conference room his mobile went off. ‘Tucker.’

‘Papa!’

‘Mattie? What are you doing calling me? Where’s Mama?’ Malcolm stood still, panic rising in his chest. 

‘Grampa told me to call you.’

‘Where’s your mother?’

‘She’s hurting. Crying.’ Mattie tried to remember the word. ‘Labour? That’s what Grampa says.’

‘Cass is in labour?’ Malcolm went white. ‘Pass the phone to your mother, Mattie.’

‘Can’t, Grampa’s got her on the sofa.’ Mattie was hiccupping again. 

‘Son, what’s going on?’ Malcolm shook off Jamie’s questions at first before covering the phone. ‘Cass is going into labour!’ 

‘Shit. Now?’

‘Son, what’s going on?’

‘Grampa says every 8 minutes. Don’t know.’ Mattie was just passing on messages.

‘Has he called an ambulance?’

‘Call you Grampa said.’ Mattie sniffled. ‘Why’s Mama hurting? You said babies were love!’

‘They are Mattie. They are!’ Malcolm felt helpless. ‘Mattie, you’re on the house phone aren’t you?’

‘In the kitchen.’ Mattie confirmed which line he was on.  
‘Ok, son. I know Mama doesn’t like you doing this but I need you to get her work phone and call me from it. That way you can go stand by Grampa.’

‘But Mama…’

‘Don’t you worry, Mattie. Mama will understand this time. Go get her phone and call me when you get it. Grampa can help you dial my number.’

‘Okay, Papa.’ Mattie hung up the phone and went to his parent’s bedroom. He carefully opened the drawer that she kept her work phone in when she was at home and not on call. Clutching it in one hand he made his way back down to sitting room. ‘Grampa, Papa said to use Mama’s phone to call him.’

‘Clever boy, Mattie. Cass, how do you have Malcolm set up on your phone?’ Grampa asked his granddaughter.

Breathing heavily from the last contraction, Cass just took the phone from Mattie and with a few quick taps had set the phone to dial Malcolm’s mobile. She handed it to Grampa. 

‘Mattie?’ Malcolm answered the call immediately. 

‘Malcolm? It’s Grampa. Cass is going into labour but the contractions are still quite far apart. There there, Cass, you’ll be fine. You’ve got Mattie and I right here.’ Grampa was comforting her as best he could. ‘Malcolm? When do you think you can make it home?’

‘Fucking hell, we’ve got the vote this morning and the minimum is going to be 3 hours. And that’s only if it’s one round. I’m really hoping that’s all it will take. Then it’s a 2 hour drive back. Does she want to get to the hospital now?’

‘Cass, Malcolm wants to know if you want to go to the hospital now or wait? It’s going to be at least 5 hours before Malcolm can get home.’

‘I want him to be with me!’ Cass cried as another contraction washed over her to leave her gasping again. ‘He was there for Mattie’s birth. He has to be here for his daughter!’

Malcolm could hear his wife in the background and his heart broke at the tone in her voice. When Grampa spoke to him again updating him Malcolm told the old man that he should call the doctor and ask him when Cass should get to the hospital. ‘Go with his directions. Tell Cass I’ll be there as soon as I can. And tell her I love her and give Mattie a big hug. He’s my brave boy.’

‘I will Malcolm. Take care of business there and get home as soon as you can.’ Grampa hung up and comforted Cass through another contraction before he could manage a call to their doctor. Once through the doctor asked him a series of questions and then decided that it would be best if he came over himself to check Cass out. With a promise of being there in the next 15 minutes, Grampa was left to tend to Cass with Mattie there to help. 

‘Mattie, can you go get your Mama a glass of water?’ Grampa asked the young boy and as soon as he was out of the room he leaned close to Cass. ‘The doctor’s going to come round himself and have a quick check of you. He’s concerned because of your history but he says you appear to be going through a normal delivery so far. Once he’s here he can make the call as to when we get you to the hospital.’

‘Okay, Papa.’ Cass bit her lip and tried her best to just breathe. ‘Please if I have to go to the hospital without Malcolm I want you and Mattie there with me. We’re a family and we do this together as a family.’

Once the doctor arrived at the house, Grampa sat in one of the chairs and had Mattie join him there, on his lap to keep him out of the doctor’s way. They watched as Cass went through a series of more contractions and the doctor taking some of her vitals. 

‘Alright, Cass. So far you’re right on track for a normal delivery. You’re contractions are now at about 7 minutes apart. I know you want to have Malcolm with you but once you’re at the 5 minutes between contractions I’m going to have to call for the ambulance to get you to hospital. With your history I want you close to the right facilities just in case things start to go wrong. I am probably being over cautious but I want both you and your daughter to be safe.’

‘I know. Me too, Doctor.’ Cass smiled weakly. 

The contractions settled into a pattern for a while and the doctor decided after an hour that while the contractions hadn’t gotten any closer together that it would be best to get her to hospital. Grampa went upstairs slowly and got the bag that Malcolm had readied for Cass to go to hospital with and after taking care to get back down the stairs, he collected Mattie and got him into his jacket ready to go. The ambulance arrived minutes later and the family were soon in the ambulance and on their way. Cass had made sure that Grampa had her work phone with him to keep in touch with Malcolm until he could join them.

Back at the conference, Malcolm had to do his utmost to keep from being distracted by Cass’ condition and focus for that time on the party elections. There was one fellow who had some support and made a last minute run for the leadership but Malcolm, along with a lot of help from Jamie, were able to quash it before the first run of voting. Once the results were announced, Malcolm was the first in line to shake the new party leader’s hand, ‘Minister Trudy Jones, congratulations on your election to lead the party into the future. I know that you have everything it takes to not only keep the party grounded and successful but in power for some time to come. ‘

The new Leader was beaming at Malcolm. ‘You sly dog, I know exactly who to thank for getting me here.’ She pulled him into a hug, giving him a sound thumping on the back. ‘It’s a shame more ministers don’t take your foul bollocking to heart and learn properly. If they did you’d be out of a job.’

‘Leader,’ Malcolm gave her a look of mixed regret and sheer ecstasy. ‘Don’t stop smiling but Im letting you know that you becoming leader is my swansong. I’m handing in my resignation effective immediately. I’m going to quietly leave Number 10 in the shadow of your success.’

‘Malcolm!’ Trudy didn’t stop smiling but her eyes spoke of doubt and concern. 

‘Jamie’s more than capable to see you through from here. And I’ll only be a call away for him but I’m not getting any younger and I have a newborn daughter that I want to see grow up. I missed too much of Mattie’s childhood and I’m not going to do the same with her.’

‘I respect that, Malcolm. I hated working while mine grew up but not everyone can do what you’re going to do. Take care of yourself and your family, Malcolm. I owe you a lot for your help.’

‘Thank you, Leader.’ Malcolm shook her hand again, and then he was off after a quick word to Jamie. ‘Anyone asks where I’m gone too, it’s the truth. I’m off to be with my wife for the birth of my daughter!’ 

‘Go on Malc! You bulldog! Go home!’Jamie pushed him towards the door and grinned at the spring in his old friend’s step.


	33. Chapter 33

Malcolm arrived at the hospital about 6 hours after Cass had been admitted. She’d been settled into a natal ward room and Grampa was sitting with her and watching over Mattie as he sat in a chair with a colouring book. Nurses dropped in every so often and when they did they took notes of Cass’ progress before they all spent some time doting on Mattie. Grampa could only chuckle at how easy it was for the young boy to get what he wanted from them. 

‘I hear there’s a Tucker family reunion going on here. Where’s my invite?’ Malcolm asked as he stuck his head into the room. 

‘PAPA!’ Mattie was the first to react and was launching himself from his chair, spilling markers about the floor in his enthusiasm to reach his father. He got his arms around his father’s legs for a hug before finding himself getting launched into the air in Malcolm’s large hands to get a proper hug. ‘Papa! Love you!’ Mattie was unabashedly sloppily kissing his father. 

‘My brave brave boy.’ Malcolm held him in his arms as he made his way to his wife’s bedside. ‘Couldn’t wait for me huh, love?’ 

‘Blame your daughter not me. I would much have preferred you be at my side through the start.’ Cass grinned at her husband. ‘Mattie, could I get a hug and kiss from Papa now?’

‘Yes, Mama!’ He wriggled in Malcolm’s arms and was soon sat on the bed with his mother and doing his usual smooch noises whenever he saw his parents kiss. They ignored their son this time and just kissed as if no one else was there for a few minutes until Grampa delicately coughed. 

‘If you two don’t mind, I was thinking of taking Mattie down to the cafe in the lobby and feed both of us. Cass is the only one eligible for the puddings apparently.’ Grampa was winking at the two of them. 

‘That sounds like a plan to me. I had something on my way down here.’ Malcolm was digging into his pocket and pulled some money out to give to Grampa. ‘Not too much sugar though.’

‘Would I do that?’ Grampa looked shocked at the implication but then grinned. ‘Come on, Mattie. Let's find some chocolate pudding for us.’

‘Yay! Choco pudding!’ Mattie was grabbing his Grampa’s hand and the two were off. 

Malcolm perched on the side of the bed, not letting go of Cass’ hand. ‘Love, I’m sorry I wasn’t here.’

‘You are here now, Malcolm. When I need you the most.’ She lifted his hand to her lips to kiss it. ‘Mattie and Grampa were very helpful.’

‘I got something to tell you , Cass.’ Malcolm started to say but a soft knock at the door interrupted him.

‘Thought that was you I saw running down the hall earlier.’ Harry joined them. ‘You’ll never guess.’

Cass sat up straighter. ‘Harry!’

‘Yup. Julie’s down the hall. Likely to be a c-section this time. There’s been some bleeding.’ He looked worried but fought it back. ‘How’re you doing?’

‘They think it’s to be a natural delivery for me this time.’ Cass said. ‘Just being cautious again.’

‘Doesn't surprise me.’ Harry said. ‘I just wanted to drop in and say hi. I’m off to be with Julie again.’

‘Understood, mate. Talk to you later.’ Malcolm shook Harry’s hand. 

Alone again, Cass took Malcolm’s hand in hers and prompted him. ‘You were saying?’

‘Oh, right. The election was great. Jones is the new party leader.’

‘That’s great news!’ Cass beamed. ‘That should make your job so much easier.’

‘Yes, it does. A great deal.’ Malcolm beamed back at her. ‘Because once she was announced as leader, I tendered my resignation.’

‘You’re what?’ Cass’ mouth dropped open.

‘I’m done. I’ve left number 10.’

‘But.. Malcolm!’ Cass couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘You can’t.. not with a new baby arriving. The child care costs …’

‘Will be nil. I’m staying home to raise our daughter.’ Malcolm waited for her to catch up.

‘But we’ve talked about this before, Malcolm. Even on my pay alone and savings on the child care we can’t make ends meet.’

‘I know. That’s why I’m starting as a political columnist in the Guardian in a month. I’ll be writing from home. Stay at home dad and earning money. I’ve had Angus help me with the numbers and all. I just have to go ten more years as the columnist and my pension and your wages will more than cover everything. And by then, Mattie will be close to heading to university.’

‘Oh, good grief, Malcolm. You make it sound like it’s just the next week this will all happen!’ Cass wiped a tear away from her face. ‘Let’s just enjoy them growing up first, okay?’

‘That’s why I’ve done this Cass. To be there with you as they do. My job took too much out of me and my time with you and Mattie.’ Malcolm smiled, an arm around his wife as she leaned her head against his shoulder. ‘Don’t you worry, love. We’re going to be just fine.’


	34. Chapter 34

The hours passed with Malcolm sitting on the edge of his seat. Cass having to go through the contractions at frequent intervals only made him worse. Grampa sat calmly in the chair, having gone through this so many years ago himself when Nana had given birth to their only son. He encouraged Cass and shushed Malcolm when he got too anxious. Mattie got spooked at times when Cass’ contractions were particularly hard on her but the youngster eventually settled into a nap on Grampa’s lap. 

Harry came in at one point, nervous and worried as Julie had started to be prepped for a c-section. Malcolm did his best to re-assure their friend that it would be for the best and when the nurse came by to fetch Harry back to his wife’s side, Harry was grateful and in a better state of mind. 

‘You make for such a nervous father-to-be when you’re just with me, Malcolm, but you are incredibly confident sounding when talking to others about the same.’ Cass teased him.

‘I was just empathizing. I did that with you myself remember?’ He got a cloth to help wipe her face. The last contraction had to have been the worst to date and Cass was looking very tired and weary now. ‘You should get some sleep.’

‘Can’t.’ Cass said, her hand on her stomach. ‘Our daughter is anxious to meet her dad and brother I think.’

‘Should I get the nurse?’ Malcolm asked.

‘Not, yet...OH!” Cass was caught by surprise with the contraction. It had come fast on the heels of the last one and she was gripping Malcolm’s hand very tightly. ‘Malcolm!’ She cried her husband’s name as another contraction started right away. 

‘Shit!’ Malcolm scrambled to find the call button for the nurse and hit it a few times. ‘Hang on, Cass. I’m here. Where’s the goddamn nurse!’ He slipped into bad habits in his state. ‘Fucking lazy cows.’

Grampa shook his head and whispered to Mattie to ignore his father’s bad words. ‘This is one of the times when they happen but aren’t meant to be used.’ Mattie nodded and got up at his Grampa’s gesture so that he could go and get the nurse. He didn’t make it far when two of them ran in and they quickly judged it was time for Cass to give birth. 

‘Mr. Tucker, we need you to stand aside for a moment until we get her ready for the birthing room. She’ll be fine. You can hold her hand once we’re on the way.’

Malcolm reluctantly stood back as they prepped his wife and she was soon being rolled down the hall and he was at her side. The contractions were coming very quickly now. He could hear Mattie putting up a fuss despite Grampa’s efforts to quiet him but for the moment all he had on his mind was his wife. 

The nurses were settling Cass into the birthing chair and Malcolm was right there at her side, an arm around her and holding her hand with the other. ‘Breathe, love, breathe.’ The doctor was there as well to oversee the birth and was equally encouraging.

‘You’re doing very well Cass. Keep pushing. Your daughter’s on her way.’

‘Mr. Tucker, your son,’ A third nurse was at the door. ‘He’s causing a riot out here. He won’t stop crying for his mother. Your father-in-law is trying but the boy is too much for him. He won’t let anyone else near him.’

‘Mattie.’ Cass was gasping but firm. ‘Let him in here.’

‘Ma’am, he’s too young to be in the birthing room.’

‘He’ll not settle. Bring him here. He wants to see his sister. OH!!!’ Another contraction left her breathless for a moment.

‘Cass, I’ll get him.’ Malcolm told her and let her go for a few minutes. Outside the room he rounded on the nurse who was stopping his son joining them. ‘I don’t give a fucking shit what your fucking policy is! This is my family and if my son wants to be there to see his little sister born then he will be in that fucking room with my wife and I! Stop fucking arguing!’

The nurse, pale in the face of a pure Tucker bollocking, began to crumple and soon Mattie was being washed and put in the smallest gown they could find with a lot of rolling up of the ends. The smallest hairnet was twice as large on him but Malcolm managed to knot it so that it stayed on.

‘Papa! Little sister is coming?”

‘She is, son,’ Malcolm got to a knee and looked at his son. ‘This is a very big moment for us, so you have to be at your very best. Show your little sister what a big brother she’s going to have.’

‘I will Papa! You be proud of me!’ Mattie was beaming and his father took hold of his hand and they re-joined Cass in the birthing room. A stool was wheeled over to the other side of Cass for her son to sit on be near her head as Malcolm stood by her side, holding her close. Mattie was wide-eyed at the commotion in the room and he bit his lip whenever his mother cried out but when he looked up at his father and caught his eyes, he could see the love and he knew this was the good kind of pain they’d always tried to tell him about. ‘Mama, I love you!’ Mattie told his mother and when she smiled at him, he grinned back. 

‘That’s right, Mrs. Tucker, keep pushing. I can see the baby’s head now. She’s coming along nicely. Another big push.’ The doctor was ready for the final push and when Cass bore down again the shoulders emerged. Another push and then he had a firm grip on the newborn and was quickly tying off the umbilical cord. Before the doctor could get the little girl clean she was testing her lungs and crying out for her mother. 

‘Little sister!’ Mattie almost fell off his stool at the sight of his little sister in the doctor’s hands. Malcolm was beaming with pride and Cass, exhausted and covered in the sweat of her labour, was holding out her hands for her baby. Grampa was ushered into the room just as the little girl was being handed to Cass for the very first time. He’d practiced taking photos with Cass’ phone and he managed to get the photo of the four of them. 

Cass lay there with her daughter cradled in her arms, Malcolm with his arm around her shoulders and his large hand resting on the head of his daughter. Mattie had wormed his way onto the bed with his mother and was just gazing in wonder at his baby sister. 

‘Welcome home, Adaline Avery Tucker.’ Malcolm said softly, announcing the name of his daughter.

‘Del!’ Mattie declared as he very carefully planted a kiss on his little sister’s head.

‘Del,’ Cass whispered. ‘I like that.’ 

‘Del it is.’ Malcolm beamed. 

Cass was wiped out from the effort of giving birth so Malcolm was holding Del in his arms with Mattie right at his side. The boy was still lost in wonder at the sight of his baby sister and quite frequently reaching over to stroke her little hand. When there was a knock on the door, it was Grampa who got up and let Harry in. ‘Harry! How’s Julie?’ 

‘Well, Julie underwent a c-section a few hours ago. Our little girl was struggling a bit, the umbilical had begun to wrap around her neck that’s the reason for the c-section. But, they were in time and were able to save her. Julie lost a bit of blood but she’s recovering. I just wanted to pop by and update you all.’

‘How’s your little girl doing now?’

‘She’s a bit premature so she’s under observation in the preemies ward. Doctor says she’s a fighter and will pull through almost certainly.’ Harry smiled. ‘Julie wanted me to ask you something Cass.’

‘What?’ Cass asked, sleepily.

‘Julie wants to name our daughter Cassandra. She’s a wee little fighter, just like you were as a little girl.’

‘She wants to name her daughter after me?’ Cass couldn’t believe her ears. ‘I’m… speechless.’

Harry looked over at Malcolm who was smiling broadly. ‘She told me what happened when you were young, Cass. Once she did, I agreed totally with naming our daughter after you. We’d both be honoured.’

‘I.. I’d be honoured as well, Harry. Tell Julie that I’ll drop by and see her with Del once the doctor lets me up from the bed.’ Cass said. Harry thanked her and leaned over to give her a gentle hug.

‘That’s quite the honour.’ Malcolm said. 

Grampa wasn’t surprised. ‘Julie has always held you in high regard, Cass. You know that very well’

‘I know, Papa. But to have her name her daughter after me…’ Cass still couldn’t believe it.

‘Well, love.’ Malcolm hadn’t moved a muscle while holding his daughter. ‘I think that Del and baby Cass are going to be as good friends as Dylan and Mattie are, right son?’ 

‘Dylan’s my bestest friend! We’ll be bestest big brothers together!’ Mattie declared. ‘Papa, Del yawning!’

‘Yes, Mattie. She’s sleepy. We should try to be a little quieter so she can nap.’

Mattie pressed a finger to his lips. ‘Quiet Papa!’


	35. Chapter 35

Two days later, Malcolm was helping Cass and their daughter into the waiting cab to head home. Mattie hadn’t wanted to leave his sister alone for a moment but Grampa had finally got him to come home with him after the birth. They’d come back and spent the day with Malcolm and Cass in the hospital until the doctor had declared that both mother and daughter were good to go home. 

Arriving home, they were greeted not only by Grampa and Mattie but Angus, Stella and Mary were there too. Del happily rested in her mother’s arms and accepted the coos and adoration of the family. When Cass began to tire it was Mattie who got bossy and told everyone as only he could to leave his Mama be. With a hand outstretched, his little hand as large as he could make it he was keeping the other’s off and with his other hand clutching his mother’s was leading her to the chair in the sitting room. ‘It’s okay, Mama, you rest with Del.’

Malcolm, still beaming, just shook his head and got to making coffee and some lunch for everyone. 

In the sitting room, Mary was overjoyed at the new baby but found that Mattie was right there by his sister and his mother at all times. ‘You happy now, Mattie?’ She asked her cousin.

‘I am! My little sister! I’m going to be the bestest big brother!’ 

‘Oh, you will be.’ Mary ruffled his hair. ‘I hope she doesn’t give you a hard time like you gave me when you were younger.’

‘I was a good boy.’ Mattie declared. ‘And you are the bestest big sister!’ He jumped down from his mother’s side and gave Mary one of his biggest hugs around her legs. He squeaked as Mary picked him up off his feet for a quick hug of her own. 

‘You ever be mean to your little sister I’ll be there to knock sense into you, Mattie.’ Mary shook a finger at him. She’d used that on him time to time when they’d played in the garden. ‘And you better play tea time and dolls with her too.’

‘I will! Papa and I will make dollhouse! Just like we did princess room!’

Malcolm blushed as everyone heard what they’d been calling Del’s room. Angus, the gruff Scotsman, rolled his eyes but didn’t tease his older brother. He’d been the same way with his own daughter. Tucker men always had the softest of spots for their daughters it seemed and Malcolm was proving it in spades. Angus watched his brother take a drink to his wife and to give her a break he gathered Del in his arms. The small bundle almost lost in his arms and large hands gave a burp and then began to coo around the tiny thumb stuck in her mouth. 

‘Wanna hold Del too!’ Mattie said after some time of watching his father playing with his daughter.

‘You got to be super careful Mattie.’ Malcolm warned his son. Mattie nodded and was sat on the chair beside his mother. Only when he was settled did Malcolm rest Del on Mattie’s arms, hovering close just in case. The bundled newborn was large in his hands but the young boy was beaming. 

‘Baby Del! My little sister!’ Mattie was so very still as he held her in his arms. Cass put an arm around her son. 

‘Between Papa and you, will I get a chance to love Del too?’ Cass teased.

‘Mama! You get to love Del too!’ Mattie was emphatic. ‘You love me and Papa. We love you!’

‘That’s good, Mattie. Because I’ll never stop loving you, Papa or Del.’

That night, after their guests had left, Malcolm helped Cass upstairs with Mattie racing ahead. The young boy was pushing open the door to the princess room. The room had been done in pinks and with a princess theme. The one thing that Cass had insisted on was a stuffed owl. She’d found it in the toy store when they’d been shopping for the baby and had bought it. Mattie watched as he stood on a step stool while his mother carefully laid Del in her crib. Malcolm had a hand around his son’s shoulder. The little girl barely noticed being moved from her mother’s arms to the bed and was asleep in a moment.

Whispering, Malcolm urged his son to come away and head to bed himself. Mattie didn’t want to stop gazing at his little sister but finally did. The events of the day had worn him out and he was very quickly as fast asleep as his sister. 

Leaving just Malcolm and Cass still awake and alone, they watched over their daughter for some time before mutually deciding to head to their own bed. 

‘You are a miracle, Cass.’ Malcolm told his wife as she lay in his arms in the dark room. 

‘And you are my hero.’ She told her husband, planting a kiss on his lips. ‘My big adorable hero.’

That night, despite their exhaustion the emotions they shared found themselves lost in one another again. More in love than ever.


	36. Chapter 36

‘Mattie, get your shoes on. We’re going to visit Dylan and Cassie.’

‘Del coming too?’ Mattie asked.

‘Of course, Mattie. I’m getting her ready now. You have to be a big boy and get your shoes on by yourself. You do that for me?’ Cass was packing some diapers into the baby bag for their visit with Julie. 

‘Yes, Mama.’ Mattie sat on the little stool by the front door to get his shoes on. His tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth ‘Where’s Papa?’

Cass brought the baby bag to the front door. ‘Papa had to go into the office today, Mattie. He’ll be picking us up from Dylan’s place. Good job with your shoes, Mattie! I’m proud of you!’ Cass ruffled her son’s hair, glad that it was growing back into a mass of curls. ‘While I go upstairs and get Del up, can you go out to the back garden and ask Grampa if he wants anything before we go out?’

‘Will do, Mama!’ He was running down the hall to the garden and out the door. Cass headed upstairs to get Del and had to change her diaper first. ‘You little pooper!’ Cass teased her daughter who was just cooing happily and trying to grab her own toes. 

Once over at Julie’s place, the two women got comfortable in seats in their back garden and watched over the two boys as they played. ‘How’s Dylan taking his new sister?’ Cass asked her friend.

‘He’s doing well. I have to admit he’s not as hands on as your Mattie is with Del. Don’t get me wrong he treats her well but he doesn’t have the same strong connection. You know what I mean?’

‘I get it, Julie. The whole time I was pregnant he would always be resting his head or hands on my stomach and talking to his little sister. Well before we learned it was a girl he was always talking about his little sister. So, who knows.’

Baby Cass began to fuss in her mother’s arms, looking for something to eat. Mattie, already tuned in to his own little sister was quick to his feet, dragging Dylan with him. ‘Little Cassie upset?’ His eyes were wide at the sight of the little girl fussing. ‘Mama? She hurt?’

‘No, Mattie. She’s hungry.’ Julie answered him. 

‘You gotta get her lunch then!’ Mattie said with his serious face on. ‘Del hungry too?’

‘She’s not hungry yet, Mattie.’ Cass said. 

‘Dylan, you get her food.’ Mattie said to his friend, thinking he would do the same as he would.

Dylan hung back, hands behind his back and looking very shy. ‘Mama feeds her. Not me.’

‘Why not?’ Mattie couldn’t understand his friend.

‘She’s precious.’ Dylan answered. 

‘Mattie, don’t be rude. Just because you can help feed Del doesn’t mean Dylan does. There’s very good reasons why and they don’t concern you.’ Cass told her son. ‘Sorry, Julie.’

‘That’s alright, Cass. Mattie, Cassie has a very special diet because she was an early baby. So, Dylan can’t help just yet.’ Julie explained things to Mattie. Mattie nodded and reached out to gently stroke Cassie’s little hand. 

‘Cassie got small fingers. Smaller than Del.’ He smiled at the little girl. ‘Can I hold her?’

‘After she eats, Mattie.’ Julie said. ‘Dylan, you play nice with Mattie while I see to your sister’s lunch?’

‘Yes, Mama.’ Dylan nodded and came over to Mattie. ‘Play more trucks?’

‘More trucks!’ Mattie agreed and was joining his friend back where the trucks still lay where they’d left them. They went inside, leaving the boys to play.

‘Mattie is quite good with his little sister and he seems very taken with Cassie too.’ Julie commented. ‘I bet he grows up to be a teacher or some other career with youngsters.’

‘Oh Julie! I don’t want to think of him as old just yet! That’ll happen too soon as it is!’ Cass laughed and Julie left it at that.


	37. Chapter 37

As Malcolm had expected, the folks at Number 10 threw a large party at the news of his resignation. None of them knew that he was going to be the new political columnist at the Guardian. Everyone congratulated him on his resignation and the birth of his daughter. It was Jamie who gave the farewell speech for them all.

‘Malcolm. you’ve been the most vile, foul-mouthed, bastard that politics has ever had the misfortune to experience. You’ve been at your bollocking best these past years and you will be missed. Not for the bollocking but for your skills as a master media manager. You understood not only the politics but the people. The people you worked with and the people of the country. You’ve seen the party through the highs and the lows over many elections. Over those years, you put a lot of yourself into the job, this office and this party.’ Jamie smiled openly at his friend. ‘You’ll always be welcome here with open arms and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we hope you keep in touch and not be a stranger. And maybe now, you can stop cursing so fucking much that your kids pick it up too!’

The crowd laughed and Malcolm shook his head as he got to his feet. ‘Alright you fucking cunts! One last fucking bollock for the lot of you.’ Malcolm gazed at the gathered party members and civil servants that he had dealt with on a daily basis. ‘If you don’t fucking learn the fucking lines then you are all as useless as marzipan dildos!’ After the laughter faded, Malcolm raised a glass to the group. ‘Seriously though, no matter what the fuck up or the circumstance it was all done with the good of the party in mind and it succeeded for the most part. Minister Jones, you have gathered here one of the best teams you could ever hope for to lead the party onward and upward. Jamie, we go back long before we moved into politics and I’m proud that it’s you taking on the task of keeping them all in line. Thank you, every one of you. Thank you!’ 

With the speech over, the large cake they’d had made for the occasion was rolled out and Malcolm roared with laughter. ‘This your idea, Jamie?’

‘Go on Tucker! Read out what the cake says!’ Jamie urged him on.

‘Tucker’s Law:’ Malcolm began. ‘If some cunt can fuck something up that cunt will pick the worst fucking time to fucking fuck up because that cunt’s a cunt!’ Everyone applauded and Malcolm cut the cake. ‘Right, cunt cake for everyone!’

The party carried on for some time, with Malcolm taking the time to thank everyone for coming and saying goodbye. There were plenty of people he would keep in touch with, others maybe not so much but in the end it was an amicable parting for all. 

By the time he made it home, everyone was asleep and he was reluctant to wake Cass by getting in bed with her. Instead, he took off his jacket and tie and went to the baby’s room. There, he gathered Del in his arms and sat in the chair beside the cot. ‘My little girl.’ Malcolm whispered. ‘Big day for your Papa today. No more bad guy, no more nasty words. Get to do what I’ve always loved doing, writing.’ His daughter stirred in his arms with a soft coo and gurgle. Her hands wriggled about so he offered his fingers to her and she clung to one of them, pulling it to her mouth to suck on it. ‘That’s what I was doing when I met your Mama, Del. Writing. But now I know how to write so that it means more to people. That’s what your Papa is going to do. And while he does that he’s going to be here for you.’

Del cooed again, sucking on his finger. ‘I made some mistakes with your brother, Mattie, but I won’t do the same to you. I won’t be cursing and I’ll try not to spoil you or be over-protective. I won’t like it when you scrape your knees but I know it’ll happen. I may forget at times but I promise I’ll try, Del.’ He yawned and felt himself getting sleepy. ‘Okay, my little girl. Papa’s got to get some sleep too. Back to the cot you go.’ 

Minutes later, Del was asleep and Malcolm was curling up with his wife in bed. She did stir a little but only to turn towards him and cuddle close against him.


	38. Chapter 38

‘Right, Cass. I’m off to the office. Time to submit my first column.’ Malcolm was straightening his tie.

‘They did say you could submit electronically, Malcolm.’ Cass was feeding Del. Grampa was happily out in the back garden doing his crossword puzzles. Mattie was back at school regularly so the days were quiet again except when Del was in voice. Malcolm had spent most of the past three weeks learning all he could about his little girl and how to care for her. He was finding it easier to tell the difference between Del’s ‘I’m hungry’ wail and her ‘Change me’ squawl. He wasn’t as sure about her ‘Burp me.’ or her ‘Hold me’ noises but they were pretty close to guess. He wasn’t wearing his expensive suits anymore so stains from baby spit up weren’t a major concern for him. 

‘This is a big deal, Cass. I want to make a good impression.’ Malcolm turned to face his wife. ‘What do you think? Should I change the tie?’

‘You’re fine, Malcolm.’ Cass smiled at him. ‘Did you ever tell the folks at Number 10 what you were going to do after you resigned?’

‘No. If they’re on the ball they’ll figure it out on Monday. When my first column appears.’ 

‘You sure you’re going to be able handling a weekly column and caring for Del once I’m back to work?’

‘Now who’s questioning whose abilities?’ Malcolm teased back. ‘Grampa’s already happily playing with her every morning and then after lunch he goes for his sleep and so does Del most of the time. By the time Mattie is home, Grampa will be up and I’ll be wrapped up for the day. If I need to I can get work done after the kids are asleep. And half the work is reading papers and online, which I can definitely do while Del sleeps in my arms. I do know how to plan a day out.’

‘Until Del gets fussy or starts teething. Or Mattie gets sick and has to stay home…’ Cass listed some possibilities.

‘Well I do have the ultimate backup resource, you know.’ Malcolm pulled on his suit jacket.

‘Oh?’ Cass asked.

‘The beautiful and talented Cassandra Tucker.’ Malcolm leaned over to kiss her on the cheek and then kissed his daughter. ‘I’ll be home this afternoon.’

‘Love you, Malcolm.’ Cass told him before he left the house.

At the newspaper offices, Malcolm was led to the editor’s office and handed in his column. The editor was the same one he’d had many a run-in with over stories and columns by other writers in the past but during the interviews they’d both agreed to let the past be the past. Reading over Malcolm’s submission, the editor was pleased with the column and made a few minor changes. ‘Certainly a different style than the usual political column.’ He mentioned.

‘That’s what you wanted, that’s what I’ll give you.’ Malcolm grinned.

‘And without the cursing.’ The editor grinned right back.

‘No, no cursing.’ Malcolm agreed. After a bit more work, the column was finished up and ready for print. Malcolm found it easy to get back into the print industry. By the time he was leaving the office and hailing a cab he found himself at peace with himself. No expectation of someone calling him or needing him to put out a fire. He could really get used to this, he thought. Getting in the cab, he got the driver to stop at a florists for him to pick up a bouquet of flowers and then head home.

Arriving, he held the flowers behind his back until he joined Cass in the kitchen. She was busy getting dinner ready and jumped a little when he slipped an arm around her. ‘How’s my beauty?’

‘So much better now that you’re home, Malcolm!’ Cass pressed back against him, enjoying his nearness. ‘How’d it go?’

‘Some edits, went over some of the refinements that they’d like to see more of in future columns. Loved every minute of it.’

‘Good. You can set the table, dinner’s almost ready. Del’s upstairs napping.’

‘Mattie?’ 

‘Out the back with Grampa. Grampa’s trying to teach Mattie how to do crosswords.’

Malcolm chuckled. ‘That’s a challenge for both of them. Got you something.’

‘Oh?’ Cass turned around to face him and he presented her with the flowers. ‘Malcolm! You hopeless romantic!’ She breathed in their scent and then got out a vase to put them in the center of the table. ‘Thank you very much, Malcolm.’

‘Very welcome.’ Malcolm distracted her with a long kiss until a bubbling noise on the stove broke the moment. 

‘Table, Malcolm. Before I burn dinner!’ Cass waved him off and minded dinner more closely. Malcolm laughed and, after a last kiss on her cheek, got to the task of setting the table.


	39. Chapter 39

Malcolm had settled into his new stay-at-home dad routine. After Mattie was dropped off at school, Grampa settled into his room to watch TV or do his puzzles, Del usually slept in her cot all morning and Malcolm used that time to do some writing or reading for the column. By the time Del got fussy for some food, it was time for him to have a break anyway. 

Gathering Del in his arms, Malcolm went to the kitchen and easily started to prep her bottle. It hadn’t taken long for him to learn how to do this one handed with Del in his arms. Today, she was fussy and was grabbing onto his ear. ‘I’m listening to you, Del.’ Malcolm had gotten into the habit of always talking to his daughter. ‘Got my attention already.’ The bottle was warming up and while he waited for it, he waggled his fingers at his daughter. ‘Grab my fingers, little lady. Leave my ear alone.’ 

Del gurgled happily, distracted for the moment by the large wriggly digits in front of her, left off tugging his ear and tried to grab at his fingers. ‘That’s right. Can you grab my finger?’ He played with her until the bottle was warmed up just enough. ‘Lunch time, little lady!’ He settled into a chair and fed Del. He could never get over how precious his daughter was in his arms. She seemed to be lost in his arms with how small she was. But when she looked at him, his heart melted every time. 

Following his usual routine of holding Del in his arms as she settled after eating, Malcolm was poring over the newspapers of the day. His old party seemed to be on track so he read over the oppositions comings and goings more closely. Malcolm became so absorbed in the long article detailing the opposition's current shenanigans that he didn't take much notice of Del’s mild upset at his bouncing knee. He had sat her on his leg with his hand on her back. With his hand being large enough to support her head easily too, his unconscious bouncing became too rough for his daughter and she began to cry louder. Malcolm, attention back on his daughter, lifted her with both hands to rest her in the crook of his arm began to coo softly. The quick motion was too much for the little girl’s full stomach and she let out a belch and her lunch came back up to spray over Malcolm’s shirt and part of his face. Some landed in his mouth as he'd been about to talk to her to comfort her. 

'Del, that was... ' Malcolm made a face and tried to wipe his face on his shoulder but just got more semi-digested baby food on his face. Accidentally he swallowed and grimaced at the taste. 'No more knee bouncing for you, little lady. And you'll get hungry again soon too.'

Grampa came into the kitchen and just smiled at Malcolm with baby puke all over him. 'The joys of fatherhood, Malcolm. Need a hand?'

'Can you take Del while I tidy up?' Malcolm asked and Grampa took the little girl from him and cuddled her to settle her as Malcolm got to wiping off his face. 

'What were you doing to the little darling?' Grampa asked, curious as to what had happened to find Malcolm covered in baby vomit.   
‘All I did was feed her, then she was sitting on my leg. I bounce her a bit to amuse her while she settles after eating. Today, she must have had gas.’ Malcolm was vainly trying to wipe spots of vomit off his shirt.

‘Bouncing her? After she’d eaten? And you do this all the time?’

‘Not all the time. Usually only a few minutes until she settles.’

Grampa looked at the long 2 page newspaper spread on the table. ‘Except when you get wrapped up reading an article on politics and forget what you’re doing.’

‘Huh?’ Malcolm looked confused.

‘You probably bounced her on your knee a bit too much for her liking. Shook her up until she popped.’ Grampa laughed at Malcolm’s face. ‘It’s alright Malcolm. You’ve learned a lesson I think. Go and change while I tend to Del. You may want to put that shirt in some water to soak. Baby vomit won’t smell nice soon.’

‘Can’t be worse than her crap.’ Malcolm grumbled. ‘That’s toxic stuff.’

‘Vomit comes a close second, trust me.’ Grampa tickled Del under the chin and made her giggle. ‘Change and then you can cuddle her till she sleeps.’

Nodding, Malcolm headed upstairs and changed his shirt and then noticed some streaks on his trousers too. ‘Lord, how much vomit can a baby produce!’ Stripped of his dirty clothes, Malcolm grabbed a clean shirt and trousers to change into. Gathering up his clothes he was about to just throw them in the laundry hamper when he caught a whiff of the smell. Grampa was right, these would need to be soaked immediately. He went into the washroom and filled the sink with some warm water and stuffed his clothes into the sink. 

By the time he was joining Grampa in the kitchen again, he had Del asleep in his arms and just humming softly to her. ‘Want me to take her back, Papa?’ Malcolm offered but Grampa just shook his head. 

‘I’m fine, Malcolm. Go do whatever you need to do for a bit. When I’m tired I’ll let you know.’ 

‘Thanks, Papa. I’ll just go and do my reading in the sitting room. Call me when you need a break.’


	40. Chapter 40

Malcolm didn’t live down the bouncing vomit incident for some time. Even Mattie made reference to it whenever Del spat up on him even a little bit. ‘Papa! Smellies!’ Mattie would tease him and when Malcolm stuck his tongue at his son in response, Mattie would just giggle madly and scamper away holding his nose. Cass would just laugh at her son’s antics. 

‘How come I get the smellies comments and you don’t?’ Malcolm asked his wife at the table while he was feeding Del while she cleaned up the dishes. 

‘Because I was sensible enough not to bounce either Mattie or Del on my knee right after they had eaten. Why you didn’t think that through is beyond me.’

‘I always give her a little bounce on my knee.’

‘You normally rock her on your knee. That day you were bouncing her up and down. I’ve seen what you do when your really absorbed in your reading. Not a big deal when you’re not tending your daughter at the same time.’

Malcolm just made a noise in his throat and didn’t comment as he was busy wiping up some food off Del’s chin. ‘Messy thing. Keep the food in your mouth!’ Del burbled at him with a smile on her face. ‘Now stop that, Del. Doing what your Mama does.’ 

‘Malcolm, what are you on about?’ Cass just turned part way from the counter to look at her husband and daughter. 

‘You’ve already shown her how to tug on my heart.’ Malcolm looked to his wife. ‘C’mere, Cass.’   
Cass came over and put an arm around his shoulders to give him a kiss. They were interrupted by Mattie storming in and barrelling into his parents. ‘Want kisses too!’ 

Malcolm was able to get his free arm around his son and bear hug him close. Mattie wriggled but laughed at the wet kiss Malcolm landed on his son’s forehead. ‘Kisses for Mattie!’

‘Yay!’ Mattie grinned. ‘Kisses for Del now!’ He managed to stand on his tiptoes to kiss his sister. ‘Mama’s turn!’ He was out of his father’s grasp and in his mother’s arm for a kiss from her. 

‘Mattie, how about you go upstairs and get a book and I’ll read to you and Del together.’ Cass was giving him a friendly push on his back to get him moving and away from doting over his little sister. 

‘Reading for Del! Can I read to Del?’ Mattie asked. 

‘Go pick a book and yes, you can read to Del then.’ Cass encouraged him and he was off up the stairs. ‘There you go Malcolm. Down time for you. Why don’t you go have a bath while I tuck in the kids? Maybe try to keep it warm for me after?’

‘Share a bath I hope.’ Malcolm waggled his eyebrows at his wife.

‘I was hoping you’d suggest that.’ Cass gave him a soft kiss on the lips. ‘Get it ready for us then. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’

‘With pleasure!’ Malcolm was following her up the stairs to get the tub ready for them. It looked to become a very good night indeed.


	41. Chapter 41

Malcolm was on the phone late in the afternoon speaking to Jamie to catch up on some of the gossip for some ideas on his next column. His son and Grampa were in the sitting room watching a movie as they waited for Cass to come home. While he chatted, Del rested against his shoulder still sleeping after her afternoon feeding. It came as a surprise when his daughter suddenly roused and began to cry. ‘Sorry, Jamie. I’ll call you back once I’ve got Del settled again.’

‘No problem, Malcolm. Take care.’ 

Phone put down, Malcolm was rubbing his daughter’s back to soothe her. Even as he tried to calm her she just got worse. ‘What’s wrong little lady?’ Malcolm held his daughter close, rocking her lightly. The cries became more high pitched despite his efforts. ‘You got gas, Del?’ Malcolm was guessing as to what could be wrong with his daughter. He tried to pat her back thinking it would get her to burp up whatever was upsetting her but she just kept on crying louder. 

Grampa wandered in from the sitting room, followed by Mattie. ‘She sounds fussier than normal.’

‘I know, she’s not burping at all.’ Malcolm was doing everything he could think of to quiet her down. ‘Shhh, little lady. What’s wrong?’ He cuddled her and cooed in her ear. When Del’s face went red and her hands clenched into tight fists on his shirt, Malcolm felt his heart start to hammer in his chest from worry. ‘Come on, Del. Why you crying so much?’

Mattie reached up to stroke his sister’s foot. ‘Papa, what’s wrong?’

‘I don’t know, Mattie. It’s not her tummy.’ Malcolm kept rubbing Del’s back. 

‘Have you checked her diaper?’ Grampa asked. 

‘Not yet, I didn’t notice anything.’ Malcolm got up. ‘C’mon Del. We’re going to do a check on your diaper.’ With Mattie following him, Malcolm headed up the stairs and was resting Del on the change table to get her undressed. As soon as she was on her back, she was kicking her legs around and the crying got even higher pitched. ‘Oh, my little lady, what’s wrong!’ 

‘Papa! Del’s hurt!’ Mattie was getting upset at his sister’s crying. ‘Gotta help her!’

‘I’m trying, son. I’m trying!’ Malcolm tried rubbing her legs to stop them flailing around but that didn’t do anything. ‘Let’s see if it’s a dirty diaper causing you to fuss, Del.’ It took some struggling but he got Del’s onesie off and then the diaper. ‘Well, Mattie, it’s not a dirty diaper.’ Del continued to fuss and cry. Mattie stepped up on his stepstool to get closer to his sister. He held his finger out to her and she grabbed his finger and squeezed it tight in her fist. 

‘Del, why you crying?’ Mattie tried to help calm his sister but despite both their efforts Del’s crying continued. ‘Mattie, can you get me her small blanket from her cot. Maybe she’s cold.’

‘Yes, Papa!’ Mattie got his finger free from Del’s grasp and grabbed her blanket. ‘Here you go, Papa.’ He held it up for his father to take.

‘Thanks, Mattie.’ Malcolm had placed a fresh diaper on his daughter and then picked her up to swaddle her in her soft blanket. The crying continued to pierce his ears and his heart it seemed. Sitting in the chair with Del in his arms, Mattie hovered worriedly beside him. His hand kept stroking his daughter’s head trying to calm her but nothing was helping. 

‘You okay up there?’ Grampa called up. His knees kept him from moving up and down the stairs as much as he used to before.

‘She’s still fussing, Grampa! I don’t know why!’

‘Just try to keep her calm and soothe her. Try singing to her!’

‘Sing?’ Malcolm frowned. ‘I don’t know how to sing.’

‘I teach you, Papa.’ Mattie smiled and started to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider.   
The itsy-bitsy spider  
Climbed up the water spout  
Down came the rain  
And washed the spider out  
Out came the sun  
And dried up all the rain  
And the itsy-bitsy spider  
Climbed up the spout again

As he sang, he moved his fingers up and down Del’s legs as if they were a spider. By the time he was finished singing, Malcolm was helping to sing too if a little off key. Del however wasn’t calming down at all. 

When he finally heard the front door open and Cass arrive home from work, he was up out of the chair with Mattie running ahead of him. ‘Cass, thank heavens you’re home! I can’t get her to stop crying! She’s not had to burp, her diaper is clean! I don’t know what’s wrong!’ Malcolm was rushing through the list of everything he’d done so far. ‘She won’t stop, Cass.’

‘Here, let me take her.’ Cass put down her bag and helped relieve Malcolm of Del. Even in Cass’ arms there was no let up in Del’s crying. Malcolm, glad that Cass was there, admired how calm his wife was with Del’s fussing. ‘Malcolm, calm down. She’ll be fine she’s just got to get it out of her system.’

‘Was Mattie like this?’ Malcolm glanced fearfully at his son, who was right there with them.

‘He had his moments. There was a bit of colic with him but nothing major or permanent.’ Cass was straightening up the blanket to tighten it around Del’s legs to keep her legs from cramping up. ‘She’s certainly got some lungs. Malcolm, can you make some dinner while I tend Del? You look like you need to do something.’

Malcolm drew his hand back from Del’s head, stopping his constant stroking. ‘I didn’t know what to do, love.’ His voice was still shaky.

‘I didn’t know at first either, Malcolm. Del will be fine. If she carries on too many times like this then I’ll take her to the doctor. For now, we let her cry herself out and then she’ll be asleep for some time.’

‘It’s normal?’ Malcolm was wide eyed. 

‘It happens often enough and there’s no reason for it. But they grow out of it. We’ll just have to cope with it. What you have to do is try different ways to soothe her when she cries. I’ll take her upstairs and try to settle her in her cot for now.’

‘Cass…’ Malcolm’s anxiety tinged his voice. 

‘Malcolm, dinner. Make it now. Mattie, tell your Papa to make dinner and you help him okay?’

‘Okay Mama.’ Mattie took hold of Malcolm’s hand and tugged at him. ‘Come on, Papa. Dinner.’

Malcolm looked down at Mattie and then back to his wife and daughter. ‘Call me if you need me, Cass.’

‘Of course I will Malcolm.’ Cass smiled lovingly. ‘Now, dinner.’

‘Yes, Ma’am. Mattie, how about some stir fry tonight?” 

‘Yay! Stir fry!’ Mattie pulled on his father’s hand towards the kitchen. ‘I get to help?’

‘You sure do,’ Malcolm agreed and they got to making dinner.

Cass headed up the stairs with Del still crying. The little girl started to finally quiet only after her mother had swaddled her tightly and had sung softly for some time. Once she fell asleep, Cass left her to rest and joined the rest of the family at the table. She wrapped her arms around Malcolm and could still feel the tension in his shoulders. Cass kissed him on the cheek, hugged her Papa and then ruffled Mattie’s hair. 

‘Well, boys. Quite the day for you.’ Cass sat with them all. 

‘Del okay now?’ Mattie asked, picking out the bits of chicken to eat them right away. 

‘Del is fine, Mattie. She wasn’t hurt, just fussy. Like you when you get tired and cranky. You get all blotchy in the face.’

‘Oh.’ 

‘Is that all then? Just maybe tired and crabby and whiney as a result?’ Malcolm asked.

‘Likely. When it happens again just try to find a way to calm her as best you can. Once you find the best way just do that again in future. It’s all you can do. She’ll grow out of it soon. I think it’s just aches and pains and tiredness because she’s a growing baby. Like when you have stitches and your body is healing. You get itchy and crabby about it. Her body is growing pretty fast right now.’

‘I remember you getting fussy a lot when you were a baby. You’re Dad would call me in panics all the time.’ Grampa recalled. ‘Nana would always tell him off for being a worry wort. She would always say, let you cry your lungs out and exhaust yourself. That’s what you’re looking to do anyway. You weren’t in pain at all. Just like Del I expect. Wants to cry herself out and then sleep sound. Part of growing up.’ 

‘That makes sense. I’ll try to not panic so much next time then.’

‘Panic does nothing.’ Grampa told him. ‘Remember you’re the Papa.’

‘That you are,’ Cass agreed. ‘Did my Mum and Dad do the same with me then? Trying to relax me?’

‘I’m not sure what your parents wound up doing to calm you down. Even then Nana wasn’t too happy with your Mum and they didn’t talk very often. Most of what I know is what I got from your Dad. He absolutely adored you and would talk for hours about you.’ He smiled and his eyes drifted back into his memories. Cass reached over and squeezed her Papa’s hand.   
‘Well, we’ll just have to find our own ways to relax Del.’ Cass said. ‘Try what you can, Malcolm and see what helps. Just please don’t panic.’

Malcolm nodded. ‘We’ll find ways to calm her when she fusses. Maybe a bath would work next time.’

‘I can help too!’ Mattie piped in. ‘I sing good for Del! Make her smile and be happy!’

‘You do have a better voice than me, son, so that may help.’ Malcolm agreed. ‘Who’s up for a quiet movie night tonight after all that fuss today?”

‘Movie! Yay!’ Mattie said. ‘Piglet movie!’

‘Yes, Mattie. We’ll watch the Piglet movie.’ Malcolm smiled and shot Cass a look when she rolled her eyes. ‘Finish up dinner first, Mattie. Don’t forget those string beans.’

‘Yes Papa!’ Mattie grabbed one and chomped on it eagerly.

Grampa declined, ‘I think I’ll call it an early night.’ 

Cass smiled at her Papa and then looked at Malcolm. Both of them knew that he just wanted to be on his own and his memories for the night.


	42. Chapter 42

‘Papa, when Cassie come over?’ Mattie asked randomly one night at dinner.

‘Dylan is over tomorrow after school as always, Mattie.’ Malcolm replied to his son as he helped Cass dish out dinner for them all.

‘No, want to play with Cassie again.’ Mattie said. ‘Play with Dylan all the time. Not with Cassie.’

‘Cassie will be over on the weekend. Right, Mama? They were coming to dinner on Sunday?’

‘That’s the plan. They’re over this weekend but then they’re off to visit family for two weeks.’ Cass said. ‘Cassie can’t just come over when Dylan does, Mattie. She’s still a baby like Del and needs her Mama and Papa near by.’

‘I can watch over her.’ Mattie said, his tone confident.

‘You’re a good big brother for Del, but Cassie has her own big brother to help her at home.’ Malcolm explained as he mussed Mattie’s hair up. ‘Go get Grampa, dinner’s being served now.’

‘Okay!’ Mattie went off to his Grampa’s room to fetch him. 

‘What’s that about?’ Malcolm asked his wife. ‘He’s awfully concerned about Cassie suddenly.’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t say suddenly. I think he sees Del and Cassie the same way. Little girls to be protected and adored. Just like his Papa treats his women.’ Cass snuck in a quick kiss on his lips as she went past him to lay plates on the table. 

‘Keep that up, lover…’ Malcolm hinted to her and she smiled at him. ‘Later.’ He promised her as they heard Mattie leading Grampa to the dinner table. 

That weekend, Julie and Harry arrived at their place with Dylan and Cassie in tow for a Sunday dinner together before they headed off on a vacation. They were kept inside thanks to it raining outside so the sitting room became the gathering place of the day. Grampa sat in the large side chair with Del happily perched on his lap and playing with a book. Dylan and Mattie had brought out the tub of coloured pencils and colouring books to lay on the floor to draw. Mattie happily helping Dylan to draw a family portrait. Cassie was held in Harry’s arms, sleeping deeply for the moment as the adults chatted.   
Malcolm had got up to check on dinner and was just returning when Cassie began to stir from her sleep. Harry began to rock her in his arms as she got fussy. ‘Sorry all.’ 

‘No worries, Harry. We’ve all been there.’ Malcolm told his friend. Mattie, his attention drawn by Cassie’s fussing was up and standing by Harry’s knee.

‘Cassie okay?’ His little face was drawn into a frown of concern. 

‘She’s just waking up, Mattie. That’s all.’ Harry told the youngster. Dylan just kept on colouring. 

‘Can I hold her?’ Mattie asked as he got up on the sofa beside Harry. He reached over and lightly touched Cassie’s kicking foot. ‘I hold Del. I’m careful!’

‘I’m sure you are, Mattie.’ Harry said but was reluctant to have Mattie hold his daughter. ‘Cassie gets quite fussy and is a handful.’

‘Oh.’ Mattie looked crestfallen. 

Harry looked to Malcolm and at the nod from his friend, he gave in. ‘Okay, Mattie. But I’m going to sit right here and if she gets fussy or too much for you I’ll take her back.’

‘I’m careful!’ Mattie was beaming now and Harry settled Cassie in Mattie’s arms, his hand right there to hold his daughter. ‘Hi Cassie. It’s Mattie. Remember me?’ He was gazing into the little girl’s eyes. She reached up to grab his lip. ‘You’re smaller than Del.’ 

‘She is, Mattie.’ Harry said to him. ‘That’s why we’re more careful with her.’

Cassie burbled and giggled at Mattie as he held her. When she grabbed one of his fingers and began to suck on it, Mattie grinned. ‘Cassie hungry! You’re chewing my finger!’

‘Okay, Mattie, time for us to give Cassie her dinner.’ Harry was taking his daughter in his arms again. ‘Julie, can you get Cassie’s food for me?’ 

‘Can I help?’ Mattie asked, eager to help. 

‘Not this time, Mattie.’ Harry said. ‘When she’s a bit older.’

‘Okay.’ Mattie accepted he couldn’t help feed Cassie. ‘One day, Cassie. I feed you too!’

‘That you will, Mattie.’ Harry said. ‘Not just now.’


	43. Chapter 43

Time passed and Malcolm learned to cope with Del’s colic. It was a huge relief when she grew out of it and settled into a quieter routine now. He wouldn’t have changed his mind for the world though. Malcolm was enjoying every minute of watching his daughter grow quickly and his son blossoming. He was amazed at the tenderness Mattie showed to his sister. When he had been growing up, he remembered more times of trying to fight his brothers then hug them. Not Mattie though. Any time there was a chance for him to cuddle his sister, hold her, or help in any way he was there to help. 

This day was no different. Dylan and Mattie were in the back garden playing while Grampa had offered to take Del off Malcolm’s hands for a bit as she slept her mid-afternoon feeding off. It freed him up to sit in the kitchen and work on the laptop to prep his column for the next Monday.

The two boys were busy crawling around the playmat pushing their assorted trucks about delivering small rocks they’d collected on their way home from school into piles of imaginary construction sites. When Del gave a little yawn on Grampa’s lap, Mattie heard her and was quick to abandon the trucks to come to her side. Dylan followed along as he always did. ‘Baby Del waking up, Mattie?’

‘Yeah!’ Mattie was quickly at Grampa’s side to watch Del starting to wriggle about. ‘Del come on the grass with us, Grampa?’

‘You got to watch her close, Mattie.’ 

‘I will!’ Mattie said and Grampa nodded. He got up and set Del down on the grass. She had taken to crawling a lot and Mattie was eager to watch over his sister. ‘I keep my eye on her.’

Del was gurgling happily and got to moving around on the grass. Mattie and Dylan were right by her. Del spotted Mattie sitting on the grass and headed for him. ‘C’mon Del. I got you.’ Mattie clapped his hands to encourage his sister to crawl to him. Dylan encouraged her too with softer words. When Del made it to them and was grabbing their knees to lift herself up. Giggling, Del was slapping her hand on Dylan’s knee. Mattie tickled her on her side making her stamp her feet as she giggled even louder. 

‘Happy Del!’ Mattie said and held out his hands to her and she grabbed tight with her little fingers and stamped about a few more times before falling onto her behind. She just giggled even more as Mattie sat her up and hugged her tightly. Dylan held back until Mattie gave him a big hug too. ‘Hugs, Dylan!’ 

Del started to work herself back up on to her feet again and was standing once more with her hand on Mattie’s leg. 

‘Del wants to stand up.’ Dylan said happily. 

‘She does!’ Mattie nodded, grinning. ‘Del stand up! Big and tall!’ He took her hands in his and helped her stand up. ‘Look, Grampa! Del standing up!’

‘She is, Mattie. Her big brother is helping her!’ Grampa was leaning forward in his chair, keeping a close eye on the youngsters. ‘Be very careful though.’

‘Always, Grampa!’ Mattie had his tongue stuck between his lips as he concentrated on helping Del stand. It wasn’t long before Del was toppling onto her behind again and giggling madly. The two boys got up and they helped her to her feet again. Del looked like she was trying to walk but after a few attempts to place one foot in front of the other she toppled forward. The two boys kept her from hurting herself and she was just laughing gleefully. Still happy and active, Del made it to her feet once and again toppled backward this time a bit more heavily. The landing was hard enough for her to start crying and her fussing had Malcolm leaving the kitchen and seeing what was going on in the yard. 

‘Papa, Del was standing up.’ Mattie said, his hand already stroking Del to quiet her down after her fall. She had one hand stuck in her mouth as she cried. ‘She sat down fast.’

‘That’s okay, Mattie.’ Malcolm said as he picked his daughter up to comfort her. ‘Babies do that a lot. You did. Until you learned how to walk properly.’

‘Del hurt?’

‘Just a little, Mattie. She’ll be fine. Like you after you tumble and skin your knee.’

‘Oh, I kiss and make her better?’

‘That would be good.’ Malcolm knelt down and Mattie gave his sister a kiss on her cheek. Dylan offered to do the same and got a tug on his nose by Del after. ‘Boys, you play here, Del can come and sit with me for a bit now.’

‘Okay, Papa!’ Mattie was grabbing Dylan’s hand and they were off to their trucks again. Grampa tickled Del before Malcolm headed back inside. With Del in one arm, he grabbed his laptop from the kitchen table and went to the sitting room. He brought out a toy for Del to play with while he continued to work on his column. From there he could keep an eye on her as well. He’d learned how to tune out the noise of her toy as she played until it stopped suddenly and she was scooting to his feet and grabbing his leg. 

‘What you up to, little lady?’ His large hand rested on his daughter’s head, tickling her lightly. She giggled and gurgled and he left her to her happy tugging on his trouser leg to finish his paragraph. When her little hand started to slap against the edge of his laptop he knew he’d have to put it away for the moment. ‘Just a sec, little lady. Don’t be smacking those buttons.’ She was grabbing for it and missed as he pulled it away from her. Instead she was grabbing the coffee table’s edge that it had been sitting on. As he twisted away from her to put it out of reach she followed his movement and he stared wide eyed as he realized she had just taken her first steps! ‘Del! You smart little lady!’ He put the laptop down on the end of the table and picked Del up into his arms making her giggle loudly. Rubbing his nose against hers to set her off in happy squealing, Malcolm laughed himself. ‘I think we’re going to have a surprise for your Mama and all on Saturday when it’s your big first birthday!’ 

Malcolm laid Del on her back on his outstretched legs and began to tickle her wriggling feet. ‘Who’s got your toes, Del? Hey? Who’s got your toes!’ He grabbed them as she tried to kick them about. ‘Can’t get away from me! No way!’ Malcolm lost himself in giggling and playing with his daughter until she began to yawn. ‘All tuckered out!’ Malcolm chuckled at his own bad pun. ‘Nap time for you little lady. Then maybe I can finish my work.’


	44. Chapter 44

‘Grampa!’ Malcolm called out and when Cass’ grandfather joined them in the kitchen he asked if he could get Mattie out from under their feet. ‘Please, can you keep him occupied for us?’

‘Papa! No! I want to help! Del and Cassie’s party!’

‘Mattie, we’ve got hot pans and lots of things going on that you’re too little yet to help with.’

‘I sit quiet then.’ Mattie looked sadly at his father. Cass was too busy prepping some nibbles that were to be baked to get involved. 

‘You haven’t been though, have you.’ Malcolm told his son. ‘Go with Grampa to the sitting room.’

‘Come along, Mattie. You can help me fold some napkins.’ Grampa took hold of the young lad’s hand in his. ‘You can help me if you can’t help your Papa.’

‘Can I do something special for Cassie?’ Mattie asked. 

‘Of course you can,’ Grampa said. ‘What about for Del as well?’

‘Yeah! I do special thing for both!’ Mattie, his attention now drawn to making something for both little girls on their first birthdays. 

‘Thanks, Grampa!’ Malcolm said with a smile. Once they were out of the kitchen, Malcolm got himself focused on getting the cake finished for the party. He’d decided on a Princess cake and had three different shades of pink and yellow for the hair to decorate the cake. 

‘Cass, next year is going to be Harry and Julie’s turn to host right?’ Malcolm asked as he stood up straight for a moment to stretch his back out. 

‘Yes, Malcolm. I just wanted the first to be a bit more special. And you’re so good at making these so very special.’ Cass was placing the small pastries in the oven and setting the timer. ‘Especially with the cakes.’ She watched over his shoulder as he drew on a smiling face for the princess. 

‘I have very special reasons to do a good job on these.’ Malcolm looked at his wife once he finished the smile on the cake. ‘Between you and Mattie and Del, plenty of reasons.’ He snatched a kiss from his wife before he went back to his decorating. 

With the cake finally completed and placed in the center of the table with a cover over it to keep it a surprise. Malcolm and Cass were hard at work to get the rest of the food and drinks ready for their guests who were starting to show up. Julie and Harry arrived first with Dylan and Cassie. Grampa was able to corral Mattie and Dylan outside to the garden with the colouring pencils and Mattie’s drawings for his sister and Cassie. Dylan was more than eager to help Mattie with his colouring while Grampa watched over them. There were going to be at least four other youngsters coming over to join them of different ages. Angus and Stella came along with Mary, despite her now being 15, she was quick to join the two boys in the garden to help Grampa out. She gave Grampa a big hug and a kiss before joining the boys on the ground. Mattie stopped his colouring only long enough to bear hug his cousin. 

Julie and Harry’s closest family members arrived as well. Not as well known to Malcolm and Cass there were plenty of introductions and their three youngsters joined Dylan, Mattie and Mary in the back garden. The two birthday girls were at pride of place on the sofa with their mothers. Del had opted to have a nap while Cassie was kicking and giggling in Julie’s arms. Malcolm was bustling back and forth to the kitchen to get drinks and lay out readied nibbles on the table. Soon enough, everyone was there enjoying themselves and chatting. The children in the back garden weren’t trying to kill one another despite the range of ages. Grampa with Mary’s help had that group under control and keeping them plied with healthy enough snacks and drinks. 

When Del started to wake up with the hubbub of the people in the room, Malcolm took his daughter from Cass to cuddle her. Angus had a camera out and started to take photos of the little girls as they wound up in the arms of just about everyone who was there. Cassie was more sedate and quiet than Del as well as smaller as a result of being born prematurely. By the time Malcolm was once more holding his daughter in his arms, she was wide awake and wriggling. ‘Want to show everyone what a smart little lady you are, Del?’ Malcolm cooed as his daughter grabbed at his large nose. ‘You got energy today, don’t you!’ He set her on the floor where Del was quick to sit by his feet to play with his shoe laces. Cass laughed at the sight of her husband happily letting their daughter do as she liked with the old political bulldog. 

‘Cake time everyone!’ Malcolm finally announced as the guests slowed down their nibbling and drinking. With the little girls in their mothers’ arms once more and the youngsters with Grampa joining them in the sitting room, Malcolm and Harry made a big show of revealing the Princess cake and everyone was soon singing Happy Birthday. Neither of the little girls were old enough yet to actually eat the cake but that didn’t stop everyone else from enjoying it. 

Everyone was relaxed and enjoying the day as Mattie and Dylan were gathered on the sitting room floor with Del sitting with them playing with a new book she’d been given by Angus, Stella and Mary. The drawings Mattie had made for his sister and Cassie were set on the table out of harm’s way. He had, with Dylan’s help, done up what passed for portraits of the two babies in his head. Cassie had cooed and tried to grab for hers which had set Mattie to grinning happily, his fingers tickling her chubby little cheeks. Angus managed to catch a photo of Mattie beaming at the little girl as she was sucking on his finger. ‘Malcolm?’ Angus elbowed his brother in the side, getting his attention. 

‘Angus?’ Malcolm turned to his brother.

‘What’s up with Mattie? The little tyke looks like he’s besotted with Cassie.’ Angus was showing Malcolm the shots he’d taken. 

‘I know. He’s always like that around her. Dotes more over her than he does his sister.’ Malcolm grinned. ‘Make sure I get those, right?’

‘Of course, Malc! That’s saying a lot. Mattie goes all out to help his sister. Look at him, he’s right behind her to catch her as she tries to stand up.’

‘Wait for this, keep that camera handy.’ Malcolm winked at his brother and went over to where Mattie and Dylan were playing with Del as she tried to stand up. ‘Hey boys, what’s Del up to?’

‘She wants to stand up, Papa!’ Mattie said proudly. ‘See, not falling down!’ 

‘Del’s getting to be a big girl, isn’t she?’ Malcolm was beaming himself now as he let Del grip his long fingers. ‘What you doing, Del?’ He encouraged her. ‘Cass!’ He called to his wife as he felt Del wobbling on her feet as he helped her stand. 

‘What’s wrong Malcolm?’ Cass turned to watch as Malcolm looked up a moment to her, grinning. ‘Del?’

‘Del, where’s Mama?’ Malcolm urged his daughter to look for her Mama. His daughter burbled with glee as she caught sight of her mother kneeling down a few feet away from her. With her mouth working, a big smile on her little face, Del stumbled forward a step towards Cass. Malcolm kept her steady and Del lurched forward another step with a little giggle. Mattie was right there in a flash too, clapping and laughing as Del took a third unsteady step. 

Malcolm, his one shoelace still undone thanks to his daughter’s playing, was bent over with his hands giving his daughter the steadying help she needed as a fourth then a fifth step drew her to her mother’s arms. ‘Who’s that, Del?’ Malcolm asked his daughter. ‘Is that Mama?’

His daughter let out a squeal of laughter as she let go of her Papa’s hands and practically tumbled into her mother’s hands. ‘Oh, my sweet little baby Del!’ Cass was smiling from ear to ear with pride. Mattie was jumping up and down with excitement, ‘Del walked! Del walked!’ 

Malcolm grabbed his son up with his large hands with a loud laugh, hoisting his son up to rest on his hip with one arm and then, with his other arm, pulled his wife and daughter close for a family hug. Angus quickly got a shot of the four of them, all of them with huge smiles on their faces with Del trying to make a grab at Malcolm’s large ear. 

‘Whatever else will be, Cass, we are and always will be a family.’ Malcolm planted a kiss on his precious wife and then on his two children. ‘Whatever will be!’


	45. Epilogue

Matthew stood in front of the mirror, his hands shaking to the point where it was hopeless that he’d manage to do up this bowtie. Dylan laughed at his friend and took over the job. Expertly, Dylan had the bowtie done up and gave Matthew a proper look over to make sure everything was in place. ‘The rose, Mats. What’d you do with the rose!’ 

‘It’s on the side table there.’ Matthew nodded to the table by the window. 

‘Ah, there we go.’ Dylan picked up the white rose and brought it to his friend. He tucked it into the lapel, fastening it tight. ‘You look absolutely fabulous today, Mats.’ 

‘I should hope so, Dylan!’ Matthew looked at himself in the mirror. The white tux fitted him well and his mop of curls had been trimmed a little just to keep them toned down a bit. His fiance refused to let him go with short hair. Reminds her too much of his father, she always said. At the thought of his fiance, Matthew grinned even more. He had just turned 26 and she had turned 18 some months before. He had asked her parents for her hand in marriage almost 9 months ago and they had been slightly reluctant to give their permission until she had turned 18. He had accepted the one condition and at the end of one of their family dinners where both his family and hers met, he had surprised everyone except for her parents and Dylan, with his proposal of marriage. 

His parents, Cass and Malcolm, had been speechless with joy. Matthew himself had found that he was holding his breath waiting for his girlfriend’s response. When Cassie had taken the ring in it’s small velvet lined box from his hands with trembling fingers, drawing him up off his knee to kiss him and whisper in his ear the single word, Yes, he had felt his heart swell in his chest. 

Now, here it was. The big day. They were finally getting married. Dylan was to be his best man. Malcolm, as proud as any father, had been there every step of the way during the preparations on the groom’s side. Matthew had protested that he wanted to be fully responsible for the wedding costs and not rely on anyone else but Malcolm would hear none of it and had made sure that no expense was spared. So, he was in a white tux that had been properly tailored and everyone else in his party was in a black tux. 

Cassie’s little brother, David (Julie and Harry had had one more child while his own mother had never gotten pregnant again), was to be the ring bearer, and he had taken the role very responsibly. His hand frequently going to his pocket to make sure the ring boxes were there.

Anne, one of Cassie’s little cousins, had been asked to be the flower girl and was still quite a handful to keep on track but Cassie had insisted on including the young girl. Matthew didn’t mind one bit. If anything, he had a way with young children which had led him into a career as a teacher rather than a lawyer like his mother or a journalist like his father. 

His sister, Del, was one of Cassie’s bridesmaids. The two shared a birthday and had grown up together but unlike their mothers, they had not grown as close but remained casual friends. Del had taken up journalism like her father while Cassie was studying law in her mother’s and her namesake’s footsteps. 

‘Well, son. Ready for this?’ Malcolm was unnecessarily straightening his son’s bow tie. 

‘More than ready, Papa.’ Matthew grinned at his father. His father’s face furrowed into it’s typical owlish scowl for a moment as he brushed off some dust from Matthew’s shoulder before the scowl was replaced with a beaming smile. 

‘Let’s go then. Your Mama’s probably already gone through a whole box of tissues.’ Malcolm laughed as the groom’s party left the hotel room to head down to the hall they had booked for the ceremony and reception. It was to be, like both their parents’ had done, a civil service. The guests were all assembled and Matthew stood at the front of the gathering in front of the officiant. 

Dylan, not only the best man but also quite a good singer, had chosen a song to sing as Cassie entered the hall. The pianist that they’d hired for the ceremony began to play as the hall door opened on his finace. 

In a country churchyard there's a preacher with his people,  
Gathered all around to join a man and woman,  
Spring is here and turtledoves are singing from the steeple,  
Bees are in the flowers, growing in the graveyard,  
And over the hill, where the river meets the mill,  
A lovely girl is coming down,  
To give her hand upon her wedding day...

Dressed in simple white and wearing flowers in her hair,  
Music as she walks slowly to the altar,  
And picking up his bible then the preacher turns towards her,  
"Will you take this man to be your wedded husband,  
to honour and love in the eyes of God above,  
Now let the people sing with me,  
These words to live forever in your heart...  
Let your love shine on,  
For we are the stars in the sky,  
Let your love shine strong,  
Until the day you fly away"  
(Chris de Burgh, In a country churchyard)

Matthew barely registered the words of the song as Cassie had slowly approached the dais. Anne had managed to not trip anyone up when it had counted the most and Cassie was soon at his side. 

The officiant began, turning first to Matthew. ‘Are you Matthew James Tucker free lawfully to marry Cassandra Elizabeth Bates?’

‘Aye, I am.’ Matthew said firmly, standing facing her and holding her hands in his.

Turning towards Cassandra, ‘Are you Cassandra Elizabeth Bates free lawfully to marry Matthew James Tucker?’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘Present the rings.’ The officiant prompted and David handed Matthew the ring. Matthew, his smile wide, slipped the ring onto his newlywed wife’s ring finger. David then handed Cassie the other ring and she slipped it onto Matthew’s ring finger. 

‘You are hereby wedded in the eyes of the laws of the United Kingdom.’ The officiant closed the book in her hands. ‘You may now kiss the bride.’

Matthew, his hands only stopped from trembling as he gently touched his wife’s face, bent to kiss her tenderly. Cassie eagerly returned his kiss until the assembled guests broke out in applause. As they turned to face their families and friends, both of them were smiling, hands joined together. 

Malcolm, his large hand now a little more wrinkled with his age, held tight to Cass’ hand as he watched their son begin his own life and, hopefully, his own family. He bent to kiss his wife and whispered in her ear. ‘My brave little lass, look what you accomplished.’

‘Malcolm, my love, we did it together.’ Cass corrected her husband. Her fingertip touched his ring finger, which was now like hers only spotting their engagement rings. The wedding bands that they had worn for 26 years with their initials joined for eternity were now on their son’s and his wife’s ring fingers. After a lingering gaze in a shared private moment together, the two were surrounded by joyous family and friends as the celebration of Matthew’s and Cassie’s wedding began. 

Malcolm snuck in one last whisper in Cass’ ear before they were swept along with everyone else, ‘Destiny.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to take a moment to thank misswintersseat for the original idea for Destiny and for all of her help as beta reader on both Destiny and the sequel. Her assistance has been nothing short of spectacular. 
> 
> For all of those who have left me comments both here and on tumblr, they have all been appreciated and have encouraged me to complete this work. 
> 
> Any and all errors in the work are mine and the characters are purely fictional. I reserve the right to go back and fix errors but this is the end of the story of Malcolm, Cass and their family. I hope you all have enjoyed reading it as much as I have had writing it.


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